A SECRET OF TELEGRAPH HILL

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5884, 16 July 1890, Page 4

A SECRET OF TELEGRAPH HILL

[BYBRRTHARTE.]

CHAPTER I. {Continued)

Ho walked to the window—that never failing resource of the unquiet mind—and looked out. Ho was a little surprised to find that, owing to tho grading of the house, the scrub oaks and bushes of the hill were nearly on the level of his window, _ s also was the adjoining side street on which his second door actually faced. Opening this, the sudden invasion of the sea-fog, and the figure of a pedestrian casually passing along the disused and abandoned pavement not a dozen feet from where ho had been comfortably seated, presented such a striking contrast to the Btudious quiet and coziness of his secluded apartment that he hurriedly closed the door again with a sense of indiscreet exposure. Turning to the window, he glanced to the left, and found that he was overlooked by the side verandah of another villa in the rear, evidently on its way to take position ou the line of the street. Although in actual and deliberate transit on rollers ncross the backyard, and still occulting a part of the view, it remained, after tho reckless fashion of tbe period, inhabited. Certainly with a door fronting a thoroughfare, and a neighbor gradually approaeting him, ho would not feel lonely or luck excitement.

He drew his arm chair to the fire and tried to realise the nil pervading, yet evasivo Tappington. Thero was no portrait of him in the houso, and although Mrs. Brooks had said that he "favored" his sister, Bly had, without knowing why, instinctively resented it. He had even timidly asked his employer, and had received the vague reply that he was " good looking enough," aud the practical but discomposing retort, "What do you want to know forr" As he really did "not know why, the enquiry had dropped. He . tared at the monumental crystal inkstand half full of ink, yet spotless and free from stains, that stood 011 the table, and tried to picture Tappington daintily dipping into it to thank the fair donors—"daughters of Rebecca." Who wero they? and what sort of man would they naturally feel grateful to 'i What was that :

He turne.: to tho window, which had just resounded to a slight tap or blow, as if something soft had struck it. With an instinctive suspicion of tho propinquity of the adjoining street he rose, but a single glance from the window satit-fied him that no missile would have reached it from there. He scanned the low bushes on the level beforo him ; certainly no one could be hiding thero. He lifted his eyes toward the house on the loft; the curtains of the nearest window appeared to he drawn suddenly at the same moment. Could it have corn.- from there r Looking down upon tho windowledge, there lay tho tnj-terions missile—a little misshapen ball. He opened the window und took it up It was a small handkerchief tied into a small knot, aiid dampened with water to givo it the nov.c*sary weight us a projectile.

Was it apparentiv the trick of . mi> chicvuus chiid ? or^—

But heie a faint knock at the door 1.a.1----inif into the hal cheeked iii* enquiry. Me

opus-i-d it sharply in hi.se.\i:itenii-iit, and was enit.ari'us.-'ed to find tin- d-iuirht... of ni* ho.*te.«s .-.Minding thuru, the stirtied, arid 0.h1.nt1.. equally euibaiTUs-std by his abrupt

respon.-e. '•Mother only wanted me to a.k you if Ellen had put everything to rights," she said, making a •■'tep backward. ••Ob, thank you. Perfectly,*' said Herbert with e-fusion. "Nothing could be batter done, in fact—"

•'You're quite sure .she hasn't forgotten anvthingl' or tli.tr there isn't anything you would like changed. " *ho continued with her eyes luvelled ou thu floor. " .Nothing, I a..-ure you," he -Jiid, looking at her downcast lushes. As she still remained inotioidcs.", he continued cheerfully, •' Would you —would you—er.ro to look around and seer 1 " "No ; I thank you." There was au awkward pause. He .still continued to hold the door open. Suddenly, alio moved forward with a school girl stride, entered the room, and going to the harmonium sat down upon the muaictiool beside it. .lightly binding forward, with one long, slim white hand on top of the other, resting over her crossed knot-..

Herbert was a little puzzled. It was the awkward end brusque act of a very young person, avid yet nothing now could be more gcutlu and self-composed than her figure and attitude.

" Yes," he continued smilingly ; "I am only afraid that. 1 may not be ablo to live quite up to the iieatneds and regularity of the example I find here everywhere. _"ou know I am dreadfully careless uud not at iii orderly. I shudder to think what may happen : but you aud your mother, Miss Brooks, I trust, will make up your minds to overlook and forgive a good deal. I shall do my best to be worth}- of _Ir Tap —of mjp__deee_sor— but even then I am afraid you'll find me a great bother."

Sho raised her shy eyelids. The faintest ghost of a long buried dimple came into her pale cheek as she said softly, to his utter consternation : "Rats!" " Had she uttered an oath he could not have been more sturtled than ho was by this choice gem of Western saloon slang from the pure dps of this Evangehne-like figure beforo him. Ho sat gazing at her with a wild, hysteric desire to laugh. She lifted her eyes again, swoot him with a slightly terrified glance, and said: " Tap says you all say that when anyone makes-believe politeness to you." " Oh, your brother says that, does he ';" said Herbert, laughiug.

" Yes, and sometimes ' old rats.' But," she continued hurriedly, "he do.-en't say it. He says you all do. My brother is very particular, and very good. Dr. Stout, loves nim. -lie is thought very much of in all Christian circles. That book mark was given to him by one of hi 3 classes." Every trace of her dimples had vanished. She looked so sweetly grave and, withal, so maidenly sitting there slightly smoothing the lengths of her pink lingers that Herbert was somewhat embarrassed.

"But I assure you Miss Brool's, I was not making believe. lam really very careless, and everything is so proper—l mean so neat and pretty—hero that I " he stopped, and observing the tame backward wandering of her eye, as of a fitly about to shy, quickly changed the subject. "You have, or are about to have neighbors '_■" he said, glancing toward the windows as lie recalled the incident of a moment before.

" Yes ; aud they're not at all nice people. They are from Pike County, and very queer. Tbey came across the plains in '00. They say • Stranger : the men are vulgar, and the girls very forward. Tap forbids my ever going to the window and looking at them. They're quite what you would call 'oil' color.' "

Herbert, who did not dare to say that he never would have dreamed of using such an expression in any young girl's presence, was plunged in siieut consternation. " Then your brother doesn't approve of them" he said at last awkwardly.

" Oh, not at all. He even talked of havi'lg ground glass put in all these windows, only it would make the light bad."

Herbert was very embarrassed. If the

mysterious missile came from these obj. jeutionable young persons, it was evidently because they thought they had detected a more accessible and sympathizing individual in tho stranger wilo now occupied the room. He concluded he had better not - ~.-"'...- ~ .-.. it jt.

__...., : golden eyelashes were bent tov.T.-d thu I'.'.ar. "Do yen play sacred music, Mr Biy r" she said without raising them. " I am afraid not." "Perhaps you know only negro minstrel Songs." " I am afraid—yes."

"1 know one." The dimples faintly came back " It's culled ' The Hamfat. Mnu.' Some day when mother isn't in I'll play it for you." Then the dimples lied again, aud she immediately looked so distressed that Herbert came to her assistance.

fp," I suppose your brother taught you that, ioo V

"Oh. dear, no!" she returned with a frightened glance ; " I only heard him say some people preferred that kind of thing to aaered music, and one day I saw a copy of it in a music store, window iv Clay street, and bought it. Oil, no! Tappington didn't teach it to me."

In the pleasant discovery that she was at times independent of her brother's perfections Herbert smiled, and sympathetically drew a step nearer to lil>., Sho rose at o cc, so'nawiiat primly hoi-ling buck the sides of her skirt, sehoul-girl fashion, with thumb uud fin;/- v, and her eyes east down. "Good afternoon, Mr !.ly." " Mam you gi> ': Good ulteruoou."

She -.uil-.d uhv.lly to the open door, looking Very faii and siat-.'y a - she did .o, but without turning to war _ him. When she l-aciie-; h she iiu.._ her eyts : thcie was the slii.rhte.-t suggestion of a reiui.i of her uimp.es iii liie iel:i.-atioii of her grave little mou'ii. lii.ii .he t.iid, "Good-bye, Mr Ely," and departed. The _:Uii' 1". yj- tier lire, s rustk-d for an instant iv the passage. Ji.eti.__.- looked after her. "I woi-ler it _._...- skipped then —she looks like _ gad that might: .skip at at such a lim-.,'' he .-aid to himself, flow very odd she is—and how simplu ! But I

'must pull her up on that slang when I know her better. Fancy her brother telling that! What a pair they must be ! Nevertheless, when he turned "back into the room again he forobore going to the window to indulge fuither curiosity in regard to his wicked neighbors. A sertain new feeliug of respect to his late companion—and possibly to himself—held him in check. Much as he resented Tappiiigton'a perfections, he reneuted quite as warmly the presumption that he was not quite as perfect which was impli.d in that mysterious overture. He glanced at the stool on which she had been sitting with a half-brotherly smile, and put it, reverently on one side with a very vivid recollection of her shy, maidenly figure. Iv some mysterious way, too, tho room seemed to have lost its formal strangeness; perhaps it was the touch of individuality — l, ers _.that had been wanting ! He began thou, htfully to dress himself for his regular dinner at the Poodle Dog Restaurant, and when he left the room he turned back to look once more at tbe stool where she h.d sat. Even on his way to that fast and famous cafe of the period he felt, for tho first time in his thoughtless but lonely life, the gentle security of the home ho had left behind him.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)