SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4660, 14 July 1886, Page 4

SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS.

[Br JULIAN HAWTHORNE.]

IV. (Continued.) Austen, with tho sonso of personal indignity that some persons feel at being confronted by anything they can not explain, settled himself in his corner, and for tho most part said nothing. Lund was also taciturn, but for other reasons. From his boyhood he had experienced mysterious phenomena, generally of a subjective order, and had become, in a manner, accustomed to them; but they had been brief and incoherent, loading to nothing and suggesting nothing. A voice had spoken to him in solitude ; sometimes, when ho had sat alone in his chamber ho had had a feeling of not being altogether alono; sometimes the image of an absent friend would strongly impress itself on his mind, and within two hours ho would eithor have met that friend or received a letter from him. Once, as ho entered the college lecture-room, he had seen the figure of his father standing on the lower fitepoftlio platform, regarding himcarncstly; as ho advanced, surprised, to speak to him, the figure had vanished : and Lund, returning home immediately, had found his father lying- dead from a stroke of apoplexy His temperament inclined him to cultivate chietiy those paths of medical science which lead to tho obscurer regions of physiolgy and pathology, and to the problems of the influence of the mind on tho body, but the dogma of spiritism had not, at this period, declared itself ; and Lund would in any caie have shrunk from associating himself with such a movement. His was a profoundly reverent nature, and he would not voluntarily call in the assistance of his bodily souses to penetrate tho mysteries of a future state. His constitution was delicate and sensitive, though uniformly healthful. His life was more mental than physical. He had never condescended to grossness, in doßcl or word On the other hand, however, he could scarcely bo called a religious man. He could not reason from man to God, and ho was unwilling to assume God in order to explain man. Like many others, therefore, his morality was a matter of taste and fastidiousness rather than of charity and faith. It was an anchor of clay, which held well enough while the waters were calm, but was liable to give way in a storm. But the dream or vision, or whatever it was that had preceded the appearance of Austen and the present expedition was unlike any former experience. It was connected "and cumulative, and the manner in which its prognostics wcro being realized inspired a mystic excitement in Land ; he could not think that this should occur except as the forerunner of some important and effective event to himself. Tt wrought in him a secret pride, as one who was spiritually distinguished abovo other men—who ■was being led by supernatural guides to the accomplishment of a destiny. Under such circumstances he felt absolved from tho necessity incumbent upon other men of ordering his conduct or limiting his expectations according to the dictates of reason and prudence. He was in higher hands and nis only concern was to follow the signs thus vouchsafed him. It is true the invitation happened to wear a most attractive aspect. But men have been known to go to death or to plunge into crime under tho same persuasion of a more than human authority. As soon as any power is admitted to tne precedence of our private conscience and judgment there is no longer any counting upon the issue. Can any great good come to us, apart from any special effort or desert on our part ? At all events, we sometimes sustain great harm through neglecting to make a special effort to avoid it.

The coach gave a great lurch, waking , up tho old lady who had fallen asleep on the back seat, and eliciting an oath from Austen, bnt not taking Lund by surprise. It would have surprised him now had any of the foreknown episodes failed to occur. Ho looked out of the window, and smiled inwardly to behold a dark and lofty tower rising against tho crimson background of sunset. "Our troubles are about over, I fancy," said Austen. "Now, perhaps, you can tell us the name of this place !" "No." "What? Has tho prophetic fury begun to subside?" "Prophecy never concerns itself much "with names, so far as I know," said Lund, ■who was not quite pleased with his companion's jesting treatment of a matter that was no jest to himself. " But we arc going to put up at an inn, on the right-hand side of tho street as you enter tho town, with a big pump in tho niiddlo of the courtyard." Now Austen had been turning over certain ideas in his mind, during tho last fow hours, and kad arrived at certain conclusions ; one of which was that his friend hud been playing off upon him a deliberate and artfully prepared deception. Hα was resolved, accordingly, lo pay him back in the like coin ; and though he cowld not attempt a reputation for secrship, he thought it ■would go hai - d if tho opportunity for sonic other sort of practical joke did not present itself. Meanwhile he affected to accept Lund's latest announcement with admiring bewilderment, in order to throw the latter ofl his guard. "It certainly is the most extraordinary phenomenon I ever camo across," he oxclaimed. " I wish I could have had ten minutes of your faculty at the last Derby. I have heard of such things, of courso; but 'I never had a serious thought about thorn Leforo. "Have you any idea what tho end of it all is to be ?" "A tolerably complete idea," replied Lund, " though certainly the latter part of my forebodings are- a little disordered aud obscure. The mirror that I was looking into was shattered at. that point, perhaps. However, Austen, I can sco you think it's all nonsense, and I won't trouble you with any more of it." "Aha!" said Austen to himself, " the soothsayer is trying to get on the safe side before I catch him. Ho must take ma for a fool!" Aloud h« said, " My dear fellow, you're on tho wrong track entirely. You know what a hand I am for gabbing ; but do one could sco what I've seen to-day ■without being knocked into a cocked hat by it." The stage having reached its stopping place, the yonng men alighted and walked on lo the inn, which was but a short distance off. " It W3 am this town, you know," remarked Ausferi, " that my school days were passed and I've been at pains to keep up some of the acquaintances 1 made there. They're deuced nice people. We shall have lots of fun. To-morrow moruing we'll go over to Sir Tom Frobisher's. He's a magistrate and has lots of money : but ho knows how to lie. He and 1 have had some roaring times together. He knows avery pretty girl within twenty miles of iere—and they know him ! His sister lives ivith him. She's rather slow—religious and ill that; but ho doesn't mind her. Then ihere's a nifice, a wonderful fine girl, a sapital horsewoman, and always up to a ark. You will fall dead in love with her, md then you and I will probably have to ight a duel, for I've sworn sho shall be nine. But never mind—l'll only shoot a lutton off your coat. Well, here we aro, nd here's your pump in the court-yard, as atural as life. I hope you foretell a good inner into tho bargain, aa I'm as hungry s a hunter." They entered tho inn, which was an ncient aud roomy structure, us cloan as a andbox, and with an atmosphcro about it f mellow ale and Old Toryism. They were iet by an elderly waiter, with a black dress oat and a ruffled shirt. Upon seeiDg usteu ho bowed with a bland smile of icognition. " Ah, Horkins," said the latter, "horo ou are again and looking younger than rer l How is my worthy host, Mr erguson?" Horkins assumed a mournful expression. You 'aren't 'card tho t-ad news, sir. I is quite cast down myself, sir, 'ad an ndigestion. for two days. Yes, sir, Mr trguson 'c dep'irtod this life four months ck; and a very gentcul funeral,_ I assure v, sir." "By Jove! poor, old Ferg. ! And; who's t tlje plaeenov/ ?" •' Well, ii very nice pasty, .sir—a. very ntcul party, indeed. I don't know tether you 'ad 'is upqiiaiutaucc, fcir ? Mr mbert." 1 Yon don't mean Jordan Lambert ? Tho dor master nfc tho school ? Jordan mbert keep an iim ! Some other fellow., ' No, sir; Mr Jordan Lambert is -tho ■ty. He'es give way awiiflo ago ; too cli literary " I presume ; n't no reggilar means of support, and an this Importunity hpfferod, wliy 'c piped in. Ar.d a very cood landlord he sir l —lie and Miss Lambert between

" Mollio Lambert, too ! Well, this a queer world! Why, Horkins—however, that's neither here nor there. My friend here and I are uncommonly hungry, that's tho main point; and wo would like to know whether Mr Lambert can give us a few chops nnd steak, and abottlo or two of good claret ?' " Cert'nly, sir," said tho waiter briskly. " This way, gentlemen, please. Chops, sir—bit of soup to begin with—boiled potatoes—slieo of puddiu'—bottle Volnay —little sherry ? Very good, sir ; directly !' He ushered them into a pleasant, oldfashioned room, with mahogany furnituro upholstered with black hair-cloth, and a coal-fire in the grate. Tho room communicated through a door on the left, with a neat bed-chamber, where the travellers proceeded to purify themselves from tho dust of travel. " I suppose yon are already posted about all this ?" said Austen pleasantly, when, having completed their toilets, they sat down in a couple of easychairs before the fire. "No; my jecollcction sooms tobosusponded at present," Lund replied; "it was at about thie time that the knocking began." •'The knocking?" " Well, lot it go at that; if s a notion of mine. So this is your old school-place, is it?" "My school-place in more waysthan one ! I don't, know that my old instructor would give a very brilliant report of me ; old Lambert, here, for instance, used to say that I could never have spoken Latin, even if I'd been born at Romo at tho time of Virgil. He had a clever tongue in his head, had old Lambert; and perhaps, after all, keeping an inn is as comfortablo a way of ending ono's days as any. But ho came of a good stock ; his uncle was a genoral under Wellington, and quito a swell. And the daughter—well it was hard on her." " Has she no relatives F" " I fancy not; but—hero comes dinner." (To he coutinucd.J