SHORT STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12784, 7 February 1905, Page 3

SHORT STORY.

' — : A PLEASANT SURPRISE. , "Mr dear, you modern women do not know the blessed eemfort of old and valued ser-, r yant*," end my aunt Letitia leant back with j a sigh of content. . ' , "I only wish 1 could find them, auntie,'' , I said, doubtfully. " I would soon v»itio , them if : they .deserved it." :;: - .'; ' ' ' My aunt sighed. "Yes, they.are;difficult : to find: 1 must admit, but I have been ex- - ■ tremely lucky; look at Mrs. Underwent, for instance." '" - "A dear," I agreed; ; " the -; real old- , fashioned housekeeper," and 1, recalled to ~ my mind my aunt's housekeeper with her .-' silvery, parted hair, her black 1 silk dress, ' and her large, and I must add, extremely, f ugly, cameo brooch. " ; * '. "She is so trustworthy and so respect- _; fill,-", repeated my aunt. r": ' '--Yes," I said,'"she is quite the old departing type; she told me you could see ' five counties from the west wing up at, I Newmanstone, and she had seen three gene- < rations of the family pass away." , My aunt, laughed. "Yes, that describes her exactly, but although she has, her comi- ' crd side, she is a great comfort to me, Cynthia,; and then, look at Dorman, too; whatever should Ido without Dorman? 1 should never have dared to £0 abroad." < "No, and we had a lovely time,"; I agreed, "for which I'm truly grateful to . both Mrs. Underwent and Dorman." ~" j While lunching with my aunt a few days , later, she looked up in much astonishment ! from her letters. ' "My dear Cynthia! Well—really!— { people are mostmost extraordinary nowa- ■ days—-do listen to this letter:—' Mrs. Lein- ] ington-Hniythe presents her compliments to . the Countess of Newmanstone, and hopes i that if her ladyship intends (as Mrs. Lem-ington-Smytlic has been informed 'is the - case) letting her house during the coining ■ winter, she will give Mrs. Leminglon- ' Smythe the first refusal.' Fancy my letting' ■ my house," said my aunt in amazement. " Why, the woman must be mad." "Perhaps she's an American,'' I said, "and thinks you will do anything for money. Shall! answer it for you auntie?" Certainly not, Cynthia; my correspondence is sufficiently large as it is," and my aunt dismissed the subject. Two days later, just as wo were about to leave the house, a motor brougham drew noiselessly up to the door, and Aunt Letil.ia's chafi'ueur drew back to make room for it. A pretty woman stepped out, and, coming up to the doorstep whore Aunt Letitia and 1 were standing, said* shyly and apologetically :~- - f.SA! » - ■'- "May I see you for a moment. Lady Newmanstone? I hopo you will forgive my intrusion, —" My aunt looked at the pretty, flushed face, and, being a tenderhearted old lady, always amenable to youth and beauty, said, in her slow and gracious way, " Certainly, ; come in. What can I do for you" Leading the way into the library, she seated herself, and motioned tho pretty woman to a chair. ...-,- -:: v -:::..:';:. ".: " 1 must apologise for troubling you.'' My aunt inclined her head and smiled graciously. .;■ ,:' :;,< ; '■',-, ; .: "But- my name is Lcmingtbn-Smythe." I remembered the letter that had arrived a day or so before, and had so greatly astonished us, but my aunt had apparently forgotten the name v / • "Yes?" She raised her eyebrows imperceptibly. " I wrote to you a day or so ago," said Mrs. Lemingtoii-Smythe, " to ask: you if you would very kindly let me know if you intended going abroad again this winter, and, if so, if you would givo me the first refusal of your house." . My aunt's face was a study in astonishment. iM-rnlexily, and dawning annoyance. "I should Hot dream of letting my house," she said, speaking very stiffly, and she gathered her furs about her as though to rise. ■■■■-.. It was Mrs. Smytho's turn to look amazed. "I am sorry," she said slowly, ft'flush' rising to her face, "but I—l thought perhaps as we had had it before, and as I took such great care of all your things" My aunt's face cleared .at once. This woman was not impudent after all, then; she had simply mistaken the name. <-'l\ ~;":-; "You have made a mistake," she said, courteously, and as Mrs. Lemington-Smytho grew crimson, she added, "I daresay it ia quite : a natural mistake. I know: London people sometime* let their houses; but" — shu laughed, as though amused at the very idea— "it is a thing l should never dream of doing. I have, perhaps, a natural prejudice against having strangers in my house." She spoke slowly, I believe, to give Mrs. Lcmin<rtou-Smyth«' time to recover her selfpossession : but Mrs. Smytho's expression was one of blank astonishment, and she was gazing at my aunt as, though she thought she must be quite demented. Then she glanced doubtfully in my direction, as though she was not sure whether I might be let into family secrets or not, and finally said gently, "I must for contradicting you, but I have only just given the house up—about five weeks ago." My aunt frowned. " You have mistaken the bouse," she said impatiently. But I assure you—" began Mrs. Lem-ington-Smytho, but my aunt, interrupted her. ' - . '■." "You have made a mistake," she cried, rising as she spoke, and she added stiffly, "it should surely be sufficient if I tell you so," Tb"re Was her own net air of finality about this statement, but "at Mrs. Leming-ton-Smythc's next words she sat down again in a hurry. " There is some mvstcry here. Lady Newmanstone," she said quietly, " for . I have only lately left your house. Your.bedroom is white and palest blue, your; boudoir,- leading out, matches it in colouring; but the hangings are white silk- instead, of blue. Tlio ceiling is exouisitoly painted in a French design of woodland nymphs." v She paused.' " I took the house from the beginning of August until September 23, as my husband was very ill. and obliged to be in town. Dr. _—-, who attended him, will bear roe out in all I say. The business arrangements were all made by your butler Dorman—l understood, at your request—and he took: the rent to pay to you, and settled, with the other servants, who, of course, stayed on with him." :„ .. . I looked at my emit, who was leaning back in a state of collapse, and ran to her side. , ■..: ■.; .■ ';-,'. , "Dearest auntie, may I get you some brandy?" ■-.-•. ','',' ' "Certainly not, Cynthia." she answered sharply. "Ring the bell for Dorman, please." _ - Then she turned to Mrs. LemingtonSniythe. "I have been grossly deceived," she said, with her usual dignity, "ami I must apologise to you for doubting your word. I am sorry you cannot have my house, but I thank you sincerely for the great- care you have taken of it, for I see no evidence of its having been let." ' ; - Mrs. Lcniington-Sniytho made some suitable reply, and as she left, the library Dorman came in. 1 sat, watching my aunt with breathless interest. What would she say? She was not a woman who ever lost her temper, but it was a wicked deception, and I wondered what, would happen to Dorman. The old man came into the room with his usual stolid, well-trained air. and my aunt, turned and looked him slowly up and down from head to foot. ';; * ..;■; -■."rv. ■ "I wish to. see. all the . servants here at; once, including you and Mrs. Underwent." Deathly pale, but without answering, he left the room, and gradually, as they had been hastily summoned from different, parts of the house, the servants assembled, and filed into 'the library. Then my aunt rose. "I ' hear that you have, in my absence, so betrayed my trust and confidence, Dorman, that you have let my house," she said, with icy self-control. "This cannot have been done without your fellow-servants"— bit his lip and winced—"all being parties to your fraud. I-. shall not prosecute you," she continued, evenlv more icily, "as I greatly dislike publicity, but I shall be glad if you will all leave my house at onceat once," she repeated, "now, this very hour." She turned to mo. " Miss Martin will lend me a couple of hcr's until I can get others, and in 'the meantime I shall go to an hotel." "' ; ;Dorman made a step towards her. "Oh! your ladyship," he stammered, trembling, "3 must beg—" '",:'■■'' : . '':. - - -."-Not a word," said my aunt peremptorily, and there was something in her face that terrified him into silence. ' ' "Go!" She spoke with utter contempt, and .he turned away; but the old housekeeper tried a deeply humble and ingratiating smile. "It was all his doing, your ladyship,"she whimpered, "and I'm deeply, deeply sorry." ■ ' : Go," repeated my aunt, with a faint. shudder of aversion. The woman burst- into tears.: It'll bo the ruin of mo," she sobbed. ) My aunt, ignoring her, turned once more towards the army of trembling servants. "You will, of course, none of you venture to approach *me for ■ characters, but'"; Dorman"—she ./said his nam© with inimitable contempt—" will pay you all your wages"she paused, and added quietly, "he - will pay you out of the rent."Mrs. ,Neish, in M.A.P. ~;.' 1