A BRIGHTON ROMANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 3867, 6 January 1883, Page 5 (Supplement)

A BRIGHTON ROMANCE.

Almost the first acquaintance Muudo and j Ethel Gfrangor came across at Urighton was Mr Gerard Ainslic, who hid paid such marked attention to both of them during the London season. He took off his hat a^ ho passed them on the Kiug's-road, and old Mr G anger, wlro was walking behind the «irls with fcboir mother, growled i.ut: - " Isn't that that fop, what's his name— .unslie?" 'Yen, pap i. Ho ia a friend of the Masons," lepliod Muudo over her shoulder, " Hum I I don't like the look of the man. I believe he it a .snub," returned Mr Granger- sulkily. " Why does papa hate him so ?" whispered Kthel tv her siaicr in an aggrieved tone. "I don't know, nil meu do-or, at least, many of th'-m," replied Maude thoughtfully. " How Ciuol and unjust !" exclaimed the younger si t>'t- indigi aully. "I am sure he is very pleasant and amiable. I believe other meu .-ire jealous of him boc.mse he is so good-looking." Miiudo G iuit!«r in vie no i-ilp'y> ;md glancod a iittlu uneasily »t her siH;er, wlitisi; faro wn« aufTiisoil >vith a veiy becnining blush. Maude's O.MI cliookx were not lion [rum an extm tirigo of cilunr, called forth, atwaren ly, by tiie siglit of Mr .\inslie. TIIO truth was that both the sisters had fulc ilaitered by Gerard Ainslie's alteuti ins last season, and \i'u prcauif.c, at IJrijjhtou aui-med to have a peculiar significance. Mnu'Je and E'liol Granger were both pretty gii la. Maude was th; elder, but she wua baic.y twenty, while E:hel was only eight-en. Thr.y were very much ulike in face and figure; su much so that many people declared they could never distinguish die one from tha other. J his wa3 not dillicul', however, to a peisou of tha most ordiuary powers of observation, for while Maude's features denoted resolution, thoughtfuluess, and some depth of character, Ethel's m re childish Use and brighter eyes beamed with heedless mirth aud youthful enthusiasm, The effect which the meeting with Ainalie produced upou the nirls was characteristic of their different temperament*. Maude asked herself serioujiy what was the meaning of the sudden thri.l of emotion Mho experienced when Ainsiie came in tight, and sought to analyse bur fueliugi towards him. Ethel, oj the othor hand, was carried away by a glo.v ot rapturou> exci'eiueut, which made her ty> a sparkle and reudtied her iucapa'jle of Benous reflection. Ainsiie, meanwhile, was strolling along in tha I'pposKo directiou, iv rather a disturbed fau»e of mind, Hiis meeting rtith the Granger girh had reminded him that nc had comu down' to Brighton for the deliberate purpose or proposing to one of them, To a aan of his supremely Bullish natme, the idea of marriage is sjrnouymuus with se.f sacrifice. lie was deeply impriSied with the conviction—as most, men aro iv some dcurec—Lhat the girl who manied him would thereby attain tho summuni boniim of earthly happiaess, With Geravd AinsLe, h iwevor, this idioajuciasy was iuteus'liml ulmos: morbid vanity, which was partly ';i>llßUlutii>n-il and partly due to vis s cm i)iiCo3<sts ;u,d the adulation ho rcce.vcd iruui indis*ost joung lady udmirerj. Added to this, Ains'i-3 had not jet gro vn w.tiy of .1 bachelor'a exist-oco. He fouud tlie life lii was leading—a frivolo-.if, selli-sh, elTeminatc lifijvcry much to hi-* taste j he was fond of peroouul comforis; aad lie was conscious of ttie facrttet"^^r^ve*w'iJTrlU nb'fanry"curtail his social plea itroa, but would distipate til it halo ot ronilujtic; intorosc- which surrounds a handsoino young hachtL'r,

T11093 disquieting reliections, howover, were not ttie main cause of Ain-lie's mental perturbation. Iltvi-g resolved to marry, he did not intend to 03 deterred by aDy of the weighty objections! above mcatioued. they troubled iiini a good deal, but he resolutely shut liis tyes :o them Hi|; pris-nt uneaiinosi arose from uncertaio^jr' as to which of tho^lissas Uranger ho slioud honour by an offer of marriigc. Ie was not that ho was unable lo tuako up his mind wiiich lie preferrcU,i for he was not des. pernUly in love with either, Pcrliaps he liked litlicl a shade better than her sister, oecatuu her admiration for him was more opcu and undisguised. But if it should •turn out that Mau.lo was the hoiress, he would bestow his pricelesi ulToctions upon her without the slimmest effort.

This was the secret of Gerard Ainslie's inatiitumial aspirations, Ho had ascertain nl on trustworthy authority tli.it ono of tli! Granger girls bad inherited £50,000 Irom au old uncle, 'I his fact was uot L'i'iierally known ourside the family, for old Mr Graugor—from an odd sense of juatica and fairues-did nit anmunco his daughter should sufl'er in consequence. So well had the secret been kept that very few peop'o had even a suspicion of it, and Am-lic's informant believed that the two girls themselves at present knew uothingof the ruatter, and would remain iv happy ignorance unul the heiress came of age. Unfortunately fur i: irur elf, however, Ainslio was quite iv the dark as to which of the sisters had baeu so substantially favoured by her undo, and a'l his efforts to elucidate the myateiy'had hitherto proved unavailiug. He hoped duriug his stay at Brighton to gain tne confidence of Mrs Granger, and either by adroic cios-quostioniog or from circumstantial evidence' lo satisfy his mind upon this iinportmt point. Gerard Ainsiie iost no time in carrying out his plans, The next day he went up to Grangers on the pier, and was introduced in due form to papa and mamma. 'I he old gentleman gave him a very Burly greeting. The honest old City man felt a genuine contuwpt for the handsome, effeminate welldressed dandy, with his drawl and his teatinunti.l way of looking at women. Heknew also tbat, iv spite of his haery and his fashionablo mode of life, young Atnslio bad nothing besides his pay as a junior clerk in a Government office; and he did not want him for a son-in-law. lie soon found, however, that Aiuslie was supremely indifferent to hia opinion, Ths youngr. man bad learnt from experience tbalyin Bine cases out ol icn, the head of a household can be treated with s-upercilious disregard so long as the sympathies of the female members vt thu family are so. ured. Ho was neither offended nor surprised at eld Mr Granger's abruptness, baing accustomed to be snubbed nnuVr similar circumstances. He shook the old gentleman's pisnve hand with easy familiarity, and devoted himself ;i*siduous'y to Mrs Ganger. She, good soul, could no more resist his hanrlsoniu face, his soit voice, aud his ag'ceaWo manners than her daughters ocmld. She felt almost young again when he paid her dexteious and subtle comp'.imeut', andabsolutely blushed at met ting his viokt eyes fixed with languid interest upon her face. Old Mr Granger found himself in a minority of one when he ventured afterwards to speak of Ainslie in disparaging twins. Like a wise man, he did not iusist too strongly npon his own prejudice agoinst him, but contented himself with administering certain impressive warning's to his wife, and growling ominously whenever Ainclic's name was mentioned.

By degrees Gerard A inslie came to be a sort of time cat in the Granger household, for though thouf;h the old pentleman would not have him asked to the house while ho was at home, he went up to town every day, and 6cca-ionally stayed there a night or two, Ainslie spent all his time with the Grangers, flirting i;i a quiet, impressivo way with tho gir;s, and gaining tho golden opinions of their mother, §ut he was quite unable to decide which was the hehess; and as time went on, the position beca,ine a little strainrd iv consequence ot an alteration iv Maude's manner towards him. Ishe began to manifest marked coolness occasionally, and Ainslic fancied Bhe was getting j'a'oiu of his attentions to her sister, li, would be awkward, he reflected, if ha should lose Miudo's good ot-inion, and she should turn him out, after fill, to be the litres s. He becarae rather desperate at last, and taking advantage of the girls being absent from tho room one day, he put a very leading question to Mrs Granger, Ihe answer to whioh must have solved all doubta. The old lady, quite innocently apparently, was about to reply, when, as Ainsiie waited with his heart in his mouth, jhc looked up, and saw Maude, who had [entered unobserved,

j The siaht of her daughter apparently rej minded Mrs Granger of the dictates of prudence, for she coughed uneasily while Ainsiie felt disconcerted, Maude must havo heard his question, and from the way aha looktdathim, for he was uncomfoitaby suspicious that she guessed his motive for asking. • insiie was tbe more vexed at this contretemps, because, on returning to his liote1, ho found a note which stited that tlie writer, though not absolutely cerlaiu, nad every reason to btliive that Maude was the heiress. It may be mentioned that this confidel;tial communication cauio from l one of Ainslie's Irad'.nueu, who had the iiiodt vital interest in bis matrimonial projects. resolved to set upon this intimation without delay. His own impression was that the information contained in the letter was correct. Ho had nothin;; to guide him to tin* opinii-n except a soit of preeentimcjt. Tlih trifling incident of the morning, and 'Vlaudo's alter d manner of late, decided him to biii.s matttw to a avis. There was a ball that evening lit tbe Favilion, given by ncivalry regiment stationed at Pie-iton. The Gmngei-s went, and .-•>iuslie t-aizad au opportunity to rotire with Maiidu t> a »ccludeA corner of tlie bilcouy. But, ere be had time to declare himself, the girl said nervoußly— " Mr AiiiHlie," 1 heard you ask mamma a question tiiisinnruing. Are under the impression that I havo 11 large fortune ?" Aiiishe was so taken aback that he could only murmur a fflw unintelligible words in reply. Maude looked at him keeuly, and noticing his coufusien, said, rather con tempttioudly— "I have no desire tn wail under fulte co'ours, ojpecially with friends." Theu, after an awkward pause, .she added, '•I think, Mr Aioslie, if yon don't mind, we will return to tho daucim(-room. It is rather chilly hero." Ainsiie give her his arm without a word, and led her to a seat beside, her mother. Their eyes met as he did so, and iv her glance Aioslio "road mingled reproach and Ecoru. He plainly sa^ that she understood his conduct rightly, aud realised that he had been nbout to propose to her under the belief that ahe was an heiress. For once in liisi life Aiuslie fet a trifle ashamed of himself, and was conscious of bis own meanness. But this remorseful sentiment was but evanescent. As soon an Maude's pale face was out of sight he began to congratulate himself iv his e»cipt».

" By Jove, tbat was devilish lucky," he murmured, tipping a glass of champagne in the refreshmeit room. "To think I should havo been on the wroug ecent. It must be the little one, of course. But what the deuce made her pull me up, I wonder ?"

tie lu*<]l an inward conviction that Maude's purpose wa« to test his siucerity, aud this made him feel a little uncomfortable. He p.-cferrerl to beht-.ve that she waa 'willing to sacrifice her own happiness for her sister's cake, and. had therefore endeavoured to evade his proposal. This supposition commended itself to Gerald Ainsli>: in bis present' mood, and he was willing to give Maude credit for the magnanimity it involved. It was evident that the poor girl was very much upset by their short tete-a tete.

>ho refused to dance any more d'iriug the evening, on tha plea of having a headache, aud sat pale and silent. She never even glanced at Gerard Ainelie again until he came up to shake hands with in r wheu she left. Sho look dup at liiin then, calmly aud without biterueas, and noticed tlnu hi 3 fp.co wore an air nf defiance which she afterwards unlerstood. During the drive homo :he nuv^r spoke a word, but when she felt Ethel's warm little hand thrust uudcr her cloak, she squeezed it ejißerly, iis-iho'aßrr^tingterf-ftirToiirJe^sympaESy. '??*

A. few mhiu es after she! had retired to her room ihwo. came a'knock at the door, uud Kthel gli-icd in, There was something in the girl's aspect which at once attracted her attention. Her Jaca wasitadiant with happiness, her eyes sparkled, and her lips wore a smi'e. Shn put her arm,round Maude's wais% k'ssed her atfcctiontiti ly, and then, with heightened colour, whi^p. red a few words io her em ,

" WhaS " ixcliimcd Maude, starting to her feet. "He lus proposed to you ? Tonight ! And you have accepted him ?" " I love-liim so," said Eth«l, tinning pale at her sister's agitation, '•' l)»n't ho an»ry, Maudo. I was afraid perhaps you — you - —" "My darling, he la not worthy of you. You must think no more of him," interposed Maude, vehemently, " Why, only this evening "

She was about to tell how Gera;d Ainalie would havo proposed to her a few hours ngo, but checked herself from gsnorous forisearaiice. Seeing Etliel looked nale and frightened, she drew her towards lier and spoke more gently :—■

" My darling, I am afraid your idol is rag and f iistain, Do not be angry with me. God grant he may prove a true man ! 1 will congratulate you theo, love, from my heart of hcaitj. But you must test him, und 1 will tell you how." When Ainsiie met the Grangen the next ruornim» ha was greeted witn calmness by Maude, who hurried on ahead with her mother in rather a marked manner, leaving Ethel to walk behind with him Aiuslie was agreeably surprised by this manoeuvre, which seemed to indicate that ho had found a friend where he least expected. He did not notice that Ethel looked white and agitated till she spoke to hint. "Gerard," she said hurriedly, "I told Maude what passed last night, She thinks it right that I should explain >>o nelliiug to you."

11 Yrs. duarest," said Ainsiie, feeling vaguely uneasy. # . "Idou't know whether you ara rich or poor, Gerard," continued Etuel. "I hope you nre poor, became I am poor al 0. I am not an heiress, like Maude."

" Whtt! " exclaimed Ainsiie, sharply, " Maude feared something sb,e said yesterday may have misled you," continued Ethel, d< oppijg her voice to a terrified whisper, as the noticed tho expression on Ainslia's face.

Pooi little Ethel I It was a cruel awakening to a bitter reality. In the start her lover gave, in the frown which gathered on bii brow as he realised that he had overreached himself, and in his changed rone when he announced that he was uiiex-. pect (lly called lack to town, she read the verification of Maude's ominous prediction. Her idol va-i bur ran mid fustian after all, a sorry imitation of a true kuigkr. He saw her home, aud pressed her hand at parting with some semblance of tender solicitude. But Ethel drew away from him, and shuddtrtd at tiis touch, she flew to her room, and needless even of Maurie'a teader ministrations, mourned over ht-r shattered idol in paroxysms of passionate tears. By degrees she recovered herself sufficiently to read with compara<ive calmne33a note which came, addressed to her, a few hours later, couched in these terms :—

Deak Miss GKAN r-ER,— Your sensible reminder th,at we aro both poor-in my case, alas I f am worse than poor—recalled me to my sob^r senses. Your father has a prejudice a«ainst me which it would be hop: 10.-s to attempt to overcome, and as I havo no projjpfiot of being able, without material assi-tanco, to make a home worthy of you, I feel it to be my solemn duty to telease you from your promise. My hcrt is too lull to permit me to write more.—Your sincere friend,

GEBARD AINStIE.