CHAPTER 111.

Otago Witness, Issue 919, 10 July 1869, Page 19

CHAPTER 111.

Troubles and cares had vanished like a 1 dream of the night, when Mary awoke before dawn, to hear her own dear village bells pealing out their welcome to Christmas Eve, and awoke to the glad consciousness that she was really at home. • * c Rejoice in the Lord daily, and again I say rejoice," was the text that rose to her mind, setting itself to the tune of those joy-bells all the time she was dressing, with noiseless movements not to disturb the sleeping Cilia. Her morning prayer over, she stole down stairs, and betook herself to the kitchen, where the one sleepy little school-girl who formed the whole of the domestic staff was lighting the fire. When Mr. Mackworth came down, it was to hear his daughter's happy voice singing carols, as she bent all her energies to the arrangement of as tempting a breakfast as the simple materials were capable of making. Mtb. Mackworth, resting in the happy assurance that "her eldest" was now at home to see to everything, was able to enjoy an extra hour of well-earned rest. When Cilia appeared shivering and miserable, long after every one else had begun breakfast, even her piteous little face brightened at sight of the daintily spread breakfast table "and the good iire; and she condescended to express approval of the crisp toast which Mary had prepared for her. It never occurred to any one, apparently, that her appetite might have been better, and her hands and feet less frozen, if she likewise had been bestirring herßelf to help in the thousand and one household tasks which there were so few to perform. Mary would have been the last to entertain so saorilegious and disloyal an idea ; for, ever since she ■was herself a sturdy brown child of six, and Cilia a delicate golden-haired fairy of three, she had learnt to consider that hers was the useful, and her sister's the ornamental, department in life — a theory ■which the little lady herself had thoroughly adopted. It was as a matter of course that she Bank after breakfast into the solitary arm-chair, with her feet on the fender, looking all that was graceful and pretty (in spite of rather untidy hair, and clotheß which would have been the better for a little more brushing and mending) ■while her mother betook herself to her eternal mending of hose and clothes, and Mary flitted about, here, there, and every where, in her oldest dress, neat through all its shabbiness, rapidly and quietly establishing order and comfort, wherever ahe want. There is no need to write in detail the history of the next few days. The curate's family came iv for no Christmas gaieties, and for a very scanty amount of Christmas cheer : but they wera busy in ministering to the comfort and pleasure of all the poor around them, and even Cilia roused up into fitful interest.

Each busy day was followed by a cheery evening. The curate would then reuse himself out of bis usual gravity, and prove the truth of his children's old saying, that, when he liked, nobody could be such fun as papa. And Harry and Mary and Cilia all chattered at once, and tho gentle mother amiled and listened, and Jack and Laurry got between everybody and the fire, and were ordered to bed, and refused to co ; and altogether it was very pleasant. For whatever thoir faults might be, these people thoroughly loved and believed in each other, and oven Cilia would with all her heart havo endorsed, the provorb that " Homo is Home, be it never so homely " " Mary ! " blio exclaimed ono darkening afternoon, noarly a week after Christmao day : ' ' here is this mysterious bro wu-paper parcel lying on tho chimnoy-piece. lhayo "been dying all this afternoon to open it. Wasn't I honorable not to open it /" Mary had just returned from some parish visiting, and Cilia, who considered herself to have a cold, was lounging in the armchair, with a novel whioh Mrs Halroyd had lent her governess to read on tho journey homo. " Oh ! let \is open it by all moans," Mary said, " only I will light the candle first, and draw the curtains, my dear ; you must be killing your eyes reading by fire- light !" As sho trim mod tho fire, and proceeded to close tho shutters and light the candle, Cilia aiezod tho parcel and attacked the string. Of courso she could not break it, and sho began a raid on Mary's workbasket, but her sister stopped her. Not even to gratify Cilia's curiosity would Mary allow her best pair of scissors to be spoilt by cutting string. " Particular old thing ! " Cilia colled her, with a littlo impatient ahrug. "But my dear, my beat aoisaors !my only usoablo pair ! If you'll wait one minute till I light tho candle, I'll fotoh a knifo from tho kitchen."

Cilia turned it in hor mind whether to go herself, but cave up tho idea with a shiver, and applied herself to unfastening the knots. " What do you suppose it can be, Mary ) A fairy godmother's gift per*

tiaps-^eh ? !'! " A wishing cap," said Maiy, laughing. "Oh I dear, what a useful possession that would he, Cilia. It shouldn't he a ,caae of black puddines with us. " "Nice rooms and pretty things, and a pony carriage that 1 could drive myself," said Cilia, with a sigh through all her jesting speech. " A living for papa, and a commission for Harry, and Harrow or Rugby for the boys ! " " And what for yourself 1 For your very own self ? " " Quite myself, and nobody else mixed up with it ? Really, I don't know. I am very lucky, 1 think I have everything. Oh ! 1 suppose I should give yp ' governessing, 'if I were quite sure my dear old Archie would get somebody for his governess who wouldn't be cross to him over those sums of his." " And to go to the Nettlehurst ball ? Come, Polly, I've heard you wish for that." "Ah!to be sure ' I forgot : and to be quite convinced that my polite unknown did not catch cold. There, Cilla,"asshefinJshed putting the room into its tisual evening trim, "your patience shall be rewarded ! lam going to fetch a knife." " No, you need not : I have undone this knot now : the first I ever undid in my life, I think. Now, Polly !" Mary came and knelt by her as she broke the seals, and unwound the packthread. Out fell a tightly folded roll of thin white paper. Cilia gave a littlo halflaughing cry of disapointment : but Mary knew better the look of the article, and she pounced on ifc with an exclamation of astonishment. "Bank-notes ! how strange ! Where can they possibly come from '] One, two, three, ten notes ! Oh, Cilia, how wonderful!" " What aro they ? Fivepound notea? .Ten-pound notes? "Thou-sand-pound notes ! Ten of them, Cilia !" and the brown eyes looked as if they never would close again. " A wishing cap indeed !" cried Cilia.

Mary carried off the bank-notes to the dingy little second sitting-room, where her father was generally to be found at this hour : for under such tremendous ciroumstances, Saturday though it was, she ventured to interrupt hia sermon. Mr Mackworth was as surprised as hia daughter, but less bewildered, and considerably less excited. " Has it not struck you, my dear, that this money may belong to tho gentleman who was so polite to you ? Don't you think it probable that* he may have left it in the cab, and that you may have taken it out with your other parcels ?" " But, papa, would anyone carry ten thousand pounds in this way 1 And then forget it ? It doesn't seem credible." "Ifc is the only explanation I can aeo, however. And J think we must try to draw up an advertisement for the Times, which the owner would understand, and nobody else. And now give me these things, and let me finish my sermon in peace." Mary obeyed ; but her father called her back to caution her against talking on the subject before the children or the servant. "It is iustas well," he said, "that all the world should not know that we havo ten thousand pounds locked up in my table drawer." So nothing was said about it during tea ; but when the boys wero gone to bed, little else was talked about, and everybody had some solution of the mystery to offer, in which nobody else could see any probability. "We shall be like some of Bliss Edgeworth's goody poor people," said Cilia j "we shall send back the bank-notes, and be rewarded for our integrity, and turn into a deserving family. Shan't wo, Mary i" " Or the unknown will nssuro us that he intended it as a delicate attention io Mary, and will bog her acceptance of the token," said Harry. "My doara," urged the curate, " wo have had almost onout-h of that joke ; family wit is all very well, but it becomes depressing when tho sun is allowed to go down upon it." " Haß it depressed you, old Polly," said hor brother, " You aro a\l in tho clowns this evening." "Well I think I am," said Mary. "If this money really boionged to that kind man, T can't bear to think what a ocrapo his L'oud-naturo must havo got him into. His gross carolessnoin rather," said Mr Mackworth ; " probably somo banker's clerk. No doubt ho has lost his placo for it. Sorvo him right, I should say." The next day was Sunday, and the ladies of tho family betook thomsolvoß to tho school for tho space of timo between broakfast and church. Harry and tho littlo boys joined thorn at Church, and Mary soon saw that hor oldest brothor was suffering under somo unusual excitoraont. Tho momont tho sormon was over, no was out of church liko a shot, and sho found him waiting at the door with anowspaper in his band. Ho aoiaod hor arm, and drow her off a littlo way, among tho tombstones, while ho cagorfo explained : " Look hore, Polly, it is such a mioor go I was looking over tho papor old M\irch lent us thia morning, and I lit on tins odvortldomont. "Look." Mary road; " Fivo hundred pound* roward, Loft in a Hansom cnb, at tho door of Gruoby's Library, on tho 2tit tilt. ; a small brown P»per piurctl fattened with twino and with

four seals in red wax, bearing the initials 'V. L.' in a monogram. Any one bringing the same with the contents intact to Messrs Langley and do's Bank, Lombardstreet, City, or to the same Bank, Highstreet, Brigham, shall receive the above reward. "

Before Harry and Mary had exchanged a word of comment, the curate was upon them, astonished and scandalised at seeing them apparently deep in the Times within the churchyard precincts. Mary gave him the paper, and painted out the paragraph. "That's a comfort," was his first exclamation : " now lam saved the trouble and expense of advertising. We must not lose a moment in restoring the money. I am doubtful whether it is not our duty to take it to Nettlehurst. I know Mr Langley is there. It is not a very Sun-day-like bit of business, but I can't bear to keep such a sum in our cottage with no proper lockup place to put it." Oh ! by all means papa," cried Mary, eagerly ; " and might not Igo with you ? If that poor clerk has got into trou 1 le. I might perhaps cay something for him ; at all events I might explain how it all happened, might I not ?" Mr Mackworth decided that Mary's presence would be desirable, and they hastened home to eat a hurried dinner before setting out. Evening service at Farley was not till six o'clock, so there was ample time for the walk to Nettlehurßt, as both Mary and her father were quick walkers, and thought nothing of the three miles out, and three back, even in the dirt and gloom of a raw January afternoon. Mary was well defended from the weather, and enjoyed thoroughly the rare treat of a tete-a-tete with papa. The walk itself too was enjoyable. It lay through country which would have been lovely in summer, and which was picturesque even in the dead of winter ; the first part through flat troen fields guarded by very impracticable stiles, aud then they emerged into the road, which gradually mounted, until plantations and wellkept fences on each side of it showed that they were passing through some gentleman's grounds. " Here is Nettlehurst," said Mr Mackworth, as, after following a low park wall for some distance, they found themselves close to tall iron gates, spick and span, and fresh and neat, as was the picturesque lodge, its trim garden, and the broad carriage drive. A woman, as tidy as every- ! thing else, in her Sunday garb, admitted them, and they walked on through wellkept plantations first, and then through a small park, somewhat dreary now, with it 3 tufts of blackened heather and dead | bracken. A flower garden was laid out close to the house, which was a picturesque building, all gable ends. The flower beds were filled with branches of holly-evor-green, a dovico which neither Mary nor her father had ever seen before ; and all along the south front of the house was a glittering conservatory giving a peep at gorgeous hues and graceful trailing forms, a welcome contrast to the bleak desolation of the ordinary out-door world. " Very nice all this is," Baid the curate approvingly ; "you should have seen thin place as I did in old Hathaway's time, when I was taking Morton's duty. Everything was going to wrack and ruin ! " Their ring at tho boll was answered by a tall footman, whose corgeous appearance mado Mary blush for her own splashed stockings and her father's threadbare coat. But ho was affable, though " not suro that his master was at homo," and on hearing that they came on business, he gavo them over to a still more aublimo personage out of livery, who, having taken Mr Mackworth's card, conducted them through a Bmall oarpoted hall and long passage, and loft them in tho library.