A COUNTY FAMILY.

Bruce Herald, Volume XI, Issue 1078, 14 January 1879, Page 3

A COUNTY FAMILY.

-+> (By the author of "Lost Sir Maesingberd." CHAPTER XXXV. KNOWING THK WORST. "I AM sorry you and Mr. Denton did not agree this morniui.," ir-aid Lucy to her f.ituer, as they sat in tbeir home at Mosedale on the evening «.f the day on wLi^h we last saw |ber : ''he seems aveiy straightf r ad and unselfish young man. " " Hoes he ? " leturne'i Mr. \\ aller, vacantly, and passing his h;in '■ wearily across Li-* forehead. " I realty pai but bttle attention to him iv all respects, except that he seemed to be very fidgety and importunate." "Teat's because ue feels everything that he says, paj a ; his every word set nis to come from his heart." "lt would be better if it came from his head when he tali<s about business mutter.-," observed Mr. Waller, diily. "D dhe tay anything mre about tbat coi-founded reservoir, Lucy, this afternoon ? " '•No, papa ; but I met him on horseback, and I fancy he was riding out to Kedmoor, to take another look at the embar kment. I hope and trust you are right in the matter, papa dear : it would be 60 terrible if what Mr. D -nton is so apprehensive of should come to pass." '* Yes, yes ; lam right enough, Lucy ; I must be right, for did not Fly a heel tell me so him srlf ? This Mr. Denton's report, he said, made fj,r too much of trie matter last year ; and I have no doubt be is again alarm ng himself unnecessarily. A young man always likes to make out a serious case with respect to anything in which he first gets employment; it is only natural, ard 1 bear no grudge against himlwhatever on account ot t c f us:S he made. His throwing his appointment in my face, indeed, ,was petulent enough ; it looked very fine, but it was not much of a sae.itiee. He has a good salary from the railway company, I am told, and is bkely to get on in the world. I dare say, so far as means go, he will son be quite as good a match for your friend Ellen as Mr. Stanhope. 1 don't wonder tbat a sensible girl like ber ' shouli prefer a man with a .steadily increasing- ! income to one who was scarcely auything but hi=i good blood to recommend bim. It is nit every young lady who has the chance of securing a man who is rich aud also well born." This was a su 1 ject not pleasing to Lucy, and she made an effort to avert ita continuance. "But of all that Mr Danton want- is to have the tmb-inkment thorougb.lv inspected, why sh- uld it not be done, papa ? Cross-examination, as 1 have heard you say, is the key that lets out the truth ; and is it not something the same with inanimate objects as with human beings 1 "It can't be done, my dear," sighed Mr Waller ; " for to be candid with you, I can't afford it." "Is it so very expensive then? Mr Denton said it would cost only a few pounds." " Nor would it, Lucy, so far as the mere work was concerned ; and my share of the ex pense would indeed be insignificant enough, but once let the fulks here know that tiie reservoir needs repair, and down go the shares as they did last year. Since you have pressed me on this matter, my darling I will take the opportunity to tell you exactly how my affairs stand — J f those can be said to stand at all, which tbe breath of rumour might topple over in utter ruin." "I am quite aware, dear papa, you are in sad straits," said Lucy, faintly; "I have al ways entreated you to let ut live more in aocordane with our act i«l means. T c luxuries with which we are surrounded have given me no pleasure since 1 came to know the shifts to which you have beeu put to mautain us i i them. I would r-tber give up everything to-morrow, aud live ever so plainly, than remain in our present false prsitiou." ■' You don't know what ' givi g up everything' means, L -cy," said Mr Waller, gloomily "nor can any one guess who bas not put into practice : no rich man, aDd certainly no rich woman, has any reai conception of actual poverty. You bave the same idea of it as your would-be Sister of Mercy has of tending the s ck iv hospital ; she fancies only wasted features with grateful looks on tbem ; she has no idea of what would really meet ber eye — and her nose." I don't know about abject poverty, papa," said Lucy simply ; "that is, I don't know so much as I ought to kuow, though it always seemed to me, even in that case, that a little care and taste " Mr Wailer cut her short with a bitter smile, "Taste?" cried he ; "yes, tbat would mend matters indeed ; you would cut fl -wers and a musical-box in exery two- roomed house, I dare say ' Thy gallery, Florence, gilds my humble walls, And my low roof the Vatican recalls. ' You and the mau who wrote those lines had much tha same conception of cottage life." " Well, papa, I know at least how our lodgekeeper and his daughter live; and Heaven knows that I would gladly exchange places with them.

"Yes,, Lucy ;bufc even if I were adapted for a lodge-keeper (which I confess I do not think f am), that is unfortunately the question. There is no middle course fur us left ; there is no alternative for us but this — either the l>fe weareuo* living. 'or positive beggary—destitution. There is not one brick of this house, nor one article which it contains, that we can with btnctnesa call our own. I thought tbat I had hinted ;as much to you already." V ]So, papa, I did not know'that." Lucy wm very wbite, but her voice waa firm. lb was ill news indeed, bub she was preparing oeroelf for worse tidings, whioh she saw by her father's face was on the way. "Yes, dear Lucy, the time has come when I must use plain words. Those reservoir shares are all — absolutely all — that I now possess in the worid ; and I must sell them to-morrow to meet a bill which will theu fall due, unless it is met i>y tome oue <lse." "By some one else ? Ido not understand." " William Blackburn's name is on the back of it." " Oh, papa, did you persuade nim to do that on my throughany hope " •"•he leaned hack breathless in her eh iir, aud gazed upou him with terrified eyes. " I made no promise, darling, certainly not But I did say, as indeed I thought, that time mi^ht have its influence upon yu in his favour. He was very reasonable — he said that he was content to wait. He did not wish to press matters at all; and I am sure he will not do so ; and in time, who knows but that fortune may Vfiiendus I have many au iron in tbe fire, and though I have been unfortunate of late, that cannot last for ever. On the other hand, what is it makes tbis match so repugnant to you, which many a young girl in the county " " Do you ask me that, papa, who knows this mvi ?" Mr Waller cast down his eves, and fumbled with trembling fingers at his watch-chain. "You cannot have a husband made to order, Lucy ; there is something to be said against every man, if you come to that." " And do you really ask me, father, to take William Blackburn for roy husband,^ for my companion - for my master all my life ?" " jS'o, only for all his life," returned Mr Waller, boldly. ** I faiu would have Kept s- lence upon this matter, but. after all, it is a mere conventional reticence. We take into account the chance of death in every marriaSe settlement, and why not in our consideration of a match, as now ? William Blackburn's life is not worth five yea's' purchase: Mr Allca c told me so himstlf. He las undermined— l me in when he was at road, aud isolated, as it were, poor fellow ! j from hi 3 family and friends, he was driven to take more to drink than was iiood for him ; and though be sees the evil of it now, yon must, yourself have noticed a marked change in him of late for the better in all respects ; he is certainly grown more social and pleasant in bis manners. VV ell, as I was s tying, though he is t.o improved in his habits, the mischief ha^heen done ; he is bouud to be a shore lived man." "Aud how many years father," asked Lii'ry, in hodow tones, " would it take a man like that to break a heart like mine, think you ?" "He shall never do it, my girl ; he shall never have the ch*nc« of doing it," replied Mr Wall tr, vehemently. "If y-u are not happy with him, you shall some back to me. Do you think that I could not manage, that and him ? I tell you 1 could wind that fellow round my finger, compel him into doing what I pleaded, and become his master wholly, if "niy I once get free from the meshes of this n-t. I feel like some strong swimmer whose limbs are caught by the lithe weed t.ene.th, and rendered u-elass ; if it be but severed, he rises to the surface buoyant as ever ; but else he is dragged down and drowned. Nay, 'worse than he, for the drowned mau is buried, and there's an end ; but of dishonoured bankrupt me tbey wi 1 mike, a shameful spectacle and at their shouts an 1 jeers my daughter may well shudder, since one word of hers might have saved me and yet she would not speak it." " I hen I wil speak it, father," cried Lwy. suddenly. "You r-hall never say that I hesitated to make the choice between my happiness and y oUrs _l w iH tell this man thi.t since you have sold me to him, I will ratify my part of the bargain." " My dear Lu-y/'said Mr Waller, taking his daughter's icy hand within his own and smoothing Tt fondly, " this is really a m< st unpleasant view to take of tbe matter. \«m must forgive me— but it is not go> d taste — and it is also most painful to myself. I have only done what any man iv the country would have be^n g'a 1 t>> have done in securing; you this go d position, although 1 confess 1 was impelled to it hy ciud necessity. If 1 were a rich man, I would iff >rd you the indulgence of wed ling whom you pleased, and welcome ; but as it is, the luxury is not within my means. Ismcerely « isb, for both our sakes, that it w< re. my d.-ar. Tnen it is not as if 1 was tearing you from the arms of one on whom you have set your heart ; you know that I was f.ir from tffering the hast obstacle when She held her hand up for a moment pleadingly. " Pray spire me that, papa, since I have promised to do your bidding. Why turture me further ? " "Torture you. my child ? Heaven forbid ! " said Mr Waller, earnestly. Deeply moved by his daughter's wretchedness, he was now characteristically bent upon showing her that, after all, matters might not turn out as she feared. *'I was obliged to put tho whole matter before you — to let you see the extent of the sacrifice (is yon persist in viewing it) which might possibly be demanded, bat to tell tbe worst is always to exclude much that is hopi fu', something tbat is even probable As I said before, William Blackburn is in no hurry to wed ; nor, indeed, would it be fitting that he shou'd be. Six months at the very least must elapse out of respect for his late wife. _ I should insist, even if it were not bis < wi. desire, upon so much of delay myself. A»d in six months, why, you don't know what a roan like me can compass, if he has but room to turn about - , in : yon don't know what Time can do, my child." "I know what Time has done for me, papa," said Lucy, bitterly,! 'butfrteen months of Time Heaven help me !'' and then at last the silent tears began to fall. Mr Waller rose, stooped over her white face and kissing ber forehead, left tlie room without a word. He understood what hi* daughter felt, and perhaps even sympathised with her more than many a less selfish mw would have done. The faculty of insight, untrammelled by the weakness of sentiment, had made Mr Waller a strong man, and armed him fortbe battle of lite. If in every ca-e he did not know exactly what shoul-1 be said, be always knew when he had aad enough. .';;■■. Lucy sat where she was for hours gazing vacan'ly before her, through eyes now teardimmed with the memories of the pas\ now coldly fixed in contemplation of the future ; busy with the dream of what might have been, and with the harsh realities of what might be. One circumstance only, to which indeed her father had alluded, though with really no other intention than to dimii.ish her sorrow, by placing it at a distance from her views, gave her some spark of comfort. There was still some time before her. William Blackburn had never actually proposbd to her ; and she knew him far to well to suppose that any delicate feeling with regard to his late wife had caused this reticence. There was doubtless some material season which turned the scale with him in favour ci delay : perhaps he was waiting to see in what position he would be left by his fathers' will, and desired to hold himself in a condition to cry "off," should circumstances induce him to look for a bride elsewhere. Never was reflection so wounding to a young lady's selfesteem, so gladly entertained and cherished. To be continued.