The Dublin Lawder: BY THE AUTHOR OF "JASPER LOWDER."

Taranaki Herald, Volume XX, Issue 2046, 16 November 1872, Page 3

The Dublin Lawder: BY THE AUTHOR OF "JASPER LOWDER."

CHAPTBB XXXni. HOLDING A PARLEY. It was some twenty-four hours subsequent to the return of the Lady Nora to Kildare Castle. The draw-bridge was still up, A nd old Dennis, the bridge-keeper sat iv the shadow of his door-way, keeping vigilant watch upon the road that led from the mainland to the island. The servants and tenants, determined to defend their young- lady in her rights, had poßtedJJ>«*as©Tve3 as sentinels at intervals fd^g the shores, determined to permit no hostile person to land upon the contested domain. The scene might have been a reproduction of mo incident of feudal times, instead of an occurrence of to-day. About the middle of the afternoon a carriage came swiftly along the mainland road, and drew up upon tha opposite bank of the steep Cat-off, while its astonished driver challenged old Dennis, demanding to know why the draw-bridge was up, and how he was to drive over to the island. v Old Dennis came out of his door-way, and stood npon his side of the bank, with half a dozen burly fellows at his back. " Who comes there ?" he shouted with an air of authority. " And what may ye be wanting ?" "To come over, ay course," returned the driver, angry and bewildered. " What should I want, any how ? It's a lady within as wants to go to the Castle " " A lady !" cried old Dennis. " Who may she be ? The old Countess ?" The question was answered by the opening of tbe carriage door, when the Lady Kathleen, the step-sister ofthe young Lady Nora, sprang out lightly, throwing back her vail. Old Dennis was profuse in his apologies. After a brief parley, the Lady Kathleen re-entered her carriage, the draw-bridge was lowered, and the vehicle was permitted to cross to the island. The draw-bridge was raised again, and lowered an hour or so later to permit tbe cab to return to the mainland, after which it was drawn up for the night. The meetiug between the two stepsisters was joyful, as may be imagined. The Lady Kathleen announced her intention of remaining at Kildare Castle until blie should be summoued to follow Bassantyno to the Continent. Lord Tresham and the Lady Kathleen did not meet that evening. Contrary to the expectations of Nora and Lord O'Neii, nothing was heard that night of or from the new Earl, his mother, or Michael Kildaro. The next morning the Lady Kathleen and Lord Tresham met each other in the breakfast parlor, a few moments before tbe remaining members of the family made their appearance. The Lady Kathleen was standing in the great bay-window overhanging the sea, in the midst of the little greenery of potted plants and hanging baskets when her defrauded lover came iv. Both started — both turned pale. Then Lord Tresbam came forward and gave Lady Kathleen his hand, and their eyes met. How both had changed since the night of that fatal marriage on the lonely Scottish shore ! There were gray threads showing plainly in Lord Tresham's hair and beard, and lines had been graven under his eyes and at the corners of his month — lines wrought by care and sorrow, which no after joy would ever obliterate. And as fjr her, poor Lady Kathleen ! she was pale and thin and anxious, and her pure azure eyes, so rare in thoir deep, soft, exquisite coloring, had a sorrowing, piteous expression that went to Lord Tresham's he-art, inflicting a pang like a .knife wound. " We meet again, Kathleen — and thus !" said Lord Tresham, trying to smile. " Sorrow has left its footprint upon your face, as on mine, Kathleen ! Where is the villain who has wrought us all this harm ?" " He has fled !" * « Fled ?" " Yes. He has gone to tbe Continent, or is on his way there," replied the Lady Kathleen, withdrawing her trembling hand from Tresham's clasp. "He is a fugitive from justice, my lord !" Lord Tresham looked amazed, bnt the Lady Kathleen was spared the pain of further explanations by the enhance of the Lady Nora, soon after followed by Lord O'Neii. The little party still lingered at the breakfast table. Lord Tresbam and tbe Lady Kathleen silent and tronbled, the Lady Nora buoyant in spirits, a brave light glowing in her sunny eyes, and a resolute smile on her scarlet mouth, and Lord O'Neii smiling, yet grave, when old Shane entered hurriedly, announcing that a party on horseback had arrived on the opposite side of the Cut-off, and were demanding to be allowed to cross to the island. •*~TOere*s-only~arft>Yr'of 'em, my lady,'.' explained old Shane, with cousiderable excitement. " But these few are strong. There's the old Conntess, acting as mad as a March hare, and the new Earl, fuming and swearing, and Mr. Michael Kildare, , soft and palavering, and Mr. Wedburn, the English lawyer, talking law, and Sir Russel Ryan " The Lady Nora caught at the name of Sir Russel. "My guardian has arrived ?" she said. " I am anxious to see him." " And be is anxious to see your ladyship," returned Shave dryly. "He says, 1 Tell the Lady Nora that this absurd farce must proceed no further. Tell her,' says Sir Russel, ' that I command her, as her

guardian, and in the name of the law she has outraged, to lower the drawbridge and yield the Castle to its rightful owner.' " The young Lady Nora's cheeks flushed haughtily. " I wish I could have an interview with Sir Russel, apart from tho»e pretenders," she said, "bat I suppose it would be impossible to gain one. Once the drawbridge is lowered, my enemies would rush across with him."

" You can talk with him from your side of the Cut-off, Nora," suggested Lord O'Neii. " Let us make a party and ride to the bridge house, and hold a parley with these people." This seeming to all the proper course, the Lady Nora ordered horses to be sad. died and brought to the door. She then retired, with the Lady Kathleen, to don a riding costume. By the time the horses were brought around, the ladies were ready. The Lady Nora, habited in dark green, and with a low-crowned hat and floating plumes, mounted her favourite Turcoman. The Lady Kathleen rode her former favourite, a gentle gray, of some Irish breed. Lord O'Neii mounted Bombay, the horse lately appropriated for his personal nse by the new Earl, and Lord Treeham was provided with a spirited thoroughbred. The good chaplain, whose sympathies were all with the Lady Nora, was also mounted, riding a shaggy pony upon which he was in the habit of riding abont-tba island, to visit the tenantry, his parishioners.

The little calvalcade swept down the arched, encircling avenue toward the Cutoff, and a brisk ride soon brought them to the bridge house. Here were drawn np two parties, one on each bank ofthe swift torrent. On the island side were old Dennis and a dozen allies. On the mainland were the Lady Nora's guardian, his English lawyer, and her ladyship's enemies. The Lady Nora rode up to the very eda-e of the steep bank of the Cut-off, at the head of her little party, and halted at tbe brink. Her face was bright, glowing, and piquant, as in her happiest days. The excitement of the present moment was an infinite relief, after her recent dreary rxperieuces, and the long, terrible,* and anxious hours of suspense and waiting. She liked action, and she was impatient to begin the interview with her enemies.

Her bright, keen eyes roamed over the opposite group in searching scrutiny. Old Shane's description of its members had been accarate. The Countess, in a draggled habit, a battered hat and general disarray, did look like a mad woman, as she .rode up and down tbe steep bank, her restless, glittering eyes looking eagerly for some spot where she might attempt a mad leap The new E »rl was furious with rage, and was crying out in a loud, shrill Michael Kildare, s*oft aD d gentle and dapper as usual, was trying, in vain, to soothe the excitement of his noble client. Sir Russel and Mr. Wedburn were talking together privately and a little apart. As the Lady Nora rode up to the opposite bank, Sir Russel rode forward also to the brink of the Cutoff. His florid face was set in a stern, uncompromising expression. He looked angry, annoyed, and indignant, and indeed he was all of these. In reply to the Lady Nora's bow, he inclined his head coldly, and then exclaimed harshly : " What is the meaning of this wretched farce, Nora? You voluntarily retired from Kildare Castle to give place to its rightful owner, and yet I find you here again, usurping Lord Kildare's rights, and creeping like a thief into his houae while he is absent. Is this conduct becoming a lady ? Is it becoming a daughter of the' house of Kildare ? I am shocked and mortified. ..If I had ever deemed you capable of such conduct I should have declined, despite my friendship for your late father, to become your guardian." The Lady Nora's cheek's reddened. "You have beard but one side of tbe story," she answered. " These friends will testify to the justice of my cause " Sir Russel sneered; " And what may their opinion in the case be worth ?" he cried furiously. " Tour lover, Wild Larry, is a penniless fellow, who is ready for any excitement or sensatim. And the Lady Kathleen must be a fi; Ling adviser, she who eloped with and married a man, Satan knows who ! Your present course is illegal, indelicate, and absnrd. As your guardian, I command you to have that drawbridge lowered !" "And as your ward, I utterly decline to have, it lowered.", reannnrtftd -±hA_girl._ " unless you will guarantee to come over alone !" "Do you dictate terms to me ?" ejaculated Sir Russel angrily. " I will promise nothing ! When I come over, Mr. Michael Kildare and the Earl will cross with me!" " Then you'll stay where you are for the present, unless you fall back on Dublin or England," said the Lady Nora coolly. " This matter of the ownership of Point Kildare must be settled by the law. And until the law awards it to Redmond Kildare, I shall remain in possession." " But the proofs are clear enough that Redmond Kildare is the rightful owner," said Sir Russel. " Having once resigned in Lord Kildare's favour, you are committln <M\r fo i ly ' and worse » in tQ as returning." My dear guardian, I wiab I could ex. ! plain this matter to you fully !" exclaimed the young heiress. " This man,- Redmond Kildare, is not the 'rightful owner' ofthe castle and estates. His proofs look well enough, and may convince a jury, but I assure you Sir Russel, on my honor, that K?Z ft O fw^ lObael Kildaro te]l Boiwnd Kildare that there was a flaw in Redmond's claims— a flaw only known to Michael—

and in virtue of this flaw Redmond Kildare has neither moral nor legal right to these estates or to the title." 9 Sir Russel looked astonished, and glanced at the little Dublin lawyer. The latter rode forward toward the Baronet, with an expression of mingled grief and surprise, as it seemed, on his soft, smooth gentle face. I " I— l am surprised !" he said, in a bewildered sort of way. " Nora, you mnst have been dreaming ! I never made such a remark — never ! How could I, when it is so false ?" " Hypocrite !" said the Lady Nora contemptuously. " You know I speak the truth. You know that you carried me from your house to a miserable prison at Clondalkin. You know that you hired the man Fogarty to kill me *' The little lawyer held up his hands in horror. Sir Russel Ryan cried out impatiently, angrily. " Nora, cease snch base accusations !" he commanded. " Can you expect us to believe snch falsehoods ? I have known Michael Kildare all my life. He is one of the gentlest, the kindest and softesthearted of men. He bribe a man to kill yon ! This is of a piece with your melodramatic action of pulling up the draw-bridge. Murder is gone out of date. This accusation puts your first assertion at its just value !" "It is trne, Sir Russel," said Lord O'Neii impetuously. " I saw this prison of Nora's at Clondalkin. I rescued the Lady Nora from the wretched cabin of Rough Fogarty on the Down coast. Every word she has said I will vouch for." " Perhaps you overheard Michael Kildare plotting to kill his young kinswoman ?" sneered the Baronet. « No " "I thought not. Michael Kildare has shed tears on the way to this place, tears of love and pity for this misguided Nora. He attempt to kill the girl he loves so strongly ! The idea is more than preposterous." "Yet I assure you, Sir Russel," said Lord O'Neii, with stern emphasis, " that this ' preposterous assertion' is true ! Find the man Fogarty and compel him to tell you the truth." Again the little Dublin lawyer held up his hands iv seemingly righteous horror. "It is a conspiracy against me !" he gasped. "Fogarty, the nephew of my housekeeper, a harmless, inoffensive fellow, is over at Dunloy, where I bade him await our return. Send for him, Sir Russel. Question him, and clear my skirts of this dreadful stain my poor misguided Nora has cast upon them !" " Nonsense !" oried Sir Russel. "Nora's false accusations fall to the ground of themselves. I know you too well my dear fellow, to believe you capable of planning a foul murder"! And besides, what reason would the basest man have for the murder of Nora ? My poor Nora !" he added sternly, fixing his gaze pn the young girl, "you should have devised a more skillful story than this, if you desired to injure your kinsman." " Decidedly !" said Mr. Wedburn. " Her ladyship shows a poverty of invention." " All this is wandering from the main point," cried tbe new Earl. " I want to get over on tbe island. I have engaged my new household, but I was obliged to leave the persons behind, as we started in such a hurry. They must "come on tomorrow. I don't want any trouble if I can help it, but I can't have these people," he added insolently, " living in my Castle and keeping me out of my own as well as putting me to the greatest inconvenience !" "You are right, my lord," said Sir Russel. "Nora, again I command you lower the draw-bridge !" "And again I refuse !" said the Lady Nora. "As you doubt my word and insult me and my friends, we will not prolong this interview. If the new Earl wants redress, let him apply to the law. I believe there is nothing else to say. Good-morning !" She bowed haughtily and • retreated from the bank, her friends retiring with her into the edge of the avenue, where they came to a halt. Sir Russel and his party retired to a little distance from the Cut-off, and engaged in an animated discussion. "It is impossible to leap the stream !" said the Baronet. "If it were possible I would do so." "If we could get into the Castle by stratagem," suggested the new Earl, " we should be in. possession. And possession, yon lawyers say, is everything." "A good idea," said Mr. Wedburn. "Once in the Castle,. your lordship can make your own terms with the Lady Nora." "We must enter the Castle !" cried Sir Russel. " This misguided girl must not be suffered to make her honoured name a scandal to the whole kingdom. I fear her mind is astray, or that O'Neii has won her over to some conspiracy. He does not want to let slip so rich a prize as Point Kildare. Did you notice how eager he was to corroborate Nora's testimony ? We must not suffer this great scandal. If we could get into the Castle, I would take the girl under ray guardianship again, and remove her to England." " We mnst get in !" exclaimed Redmond Kildare. "I have a plan. Let us pretend to give up the matter and leave it for the law to settle. Then let us pretend to return to Dunloy. But once out of sight of Point Kildare, we could go to Glenarm, or Gusheudall, or Ballycastle, and procure boats. We could return in these to-night, and effect a landing " M I have a better idea," interposed Mi. i chael Kildare. "If we retire, as his lord;

ship says, those on the island will relax their vigilance, and we can easily land this Tery morning 1 in .broad daylight Th* woods on the north side ofthe island will screen onr approaoh, and onoe on the island, we can creep up to the Castle nnder corer of the rooks. It will be easy then to get into the Castle." " But the boats ?" "Ah, yes, the boats. One will be enough. And that we can easily get. There's a fisherman living on the main* land, in a lonely spot a mile or so beyond the north end of the island. We can hire his boat. Let us meet strategy with strategy. Do you not say so ?" The Baronet, Mr. Wedbnrn, and Redmond Kildare acceded to this plan. The Countess, who had listened eagerly and in silence, added her approval. Michael Kildare and Sir Russel then rode back to the brink of the Cat-off. The Lady Nora and Lord O'Neii came out upon the opposite side, to hear the conclusion tbe young girl's guardians had arrived at. "We retire," said the Baronet grimly. "The Lady Nora bids Lord Kildare to have recourse to the law, and he will obey i her. One word as to myself Do I unders and your ladyship as defying my authority as your guardian, and refusing to go with me to England ?" "I cannot leave Kildare," replied the Lady Nora. " But, Sir Russel, I do not defy yotir authority. I honor and esteem you. You know papa wished me to remain at Point Kildare, and I must stay here until I am legally ejected. Bnt I shall be glad to see you here alone, Sir Russel, at any time. Perhaps, in a private interview with you, I might convince yon * of the truth and jasfcice of what I have alleged!" Sir Russel waved his hand impatiently. "Hold yourself prepared for a legal ejectment," he said. " And remember the law gives me a parent's control over you, which control I shall claim, unless you have a new guardian appointed, which I am perfectly willing you should do !" He withdrew from the bank and galloped along the highway, and his companions followed him. They took the road to Dunloy. Convinced of the genuineness of their retreat, the Lady Nora and her friends returned to the Castle. Onfte well beyond all view from Point Kildare, the little Dublin lawyer turned into a . cross-road, and led tbe way up the coast towards the fisherman's hut he had mentioned. "We have done well," he said. "We have thrown Nora and her friends off their guard, and we can easily effect a landing on the island. We shall soon reverse the order of things, and have matters our own way." The little party galloped on, convinced they were about to outgeneral their op* ponents. Ab ! if they bad bat boon able to read the future ! [to be continued.]

Cost o? TELEGEAPHfc Messages to England, via Java Cable. — The British Australian Tele* graph Company publishes the following : — " This Company's "cable from Port Darwin to Java is now in perfect working order (since 2 1st October.) New Zealand messages for oable transmission will be received at any telegraph station in New Zealand, and be forwarded by first mail steamer to either Sydney or Melbourne, as the case may be, and on the steamer's arrival at its port of destination, will be telegraphed immediately to Port Darwin. Tariff rates to London : For 20. words or less, vid Melbourne, £9 Ss. 6d. ; do. do., vid Sydney, £9 lls. 6d. ; (ezclnsive of New Zealand rates). .Half of above rates for every 10 or fraction of 10 words above 20. For farther information, apply at any telegraph station in New Zealand." Postal Statistics op New Zealand. — It has often times been said that the intelligence of the people can be accurately estimated by the amount of their correspondence. If New Zealand is judged by this standard she will occupy a large place in the scale of nations. We find by the Parliamentary papers that during the last year we received from without and within the Colony no fewer than 3,296,990 letters and 2,308,634 newspapers. What an amount of reading for 266,986 men, women, and children to devonr. Daring 1870 we reoeired 9,018,923 letters and 2,266,934 newspapers, by which it will be seen that onr reading capacity is considerably on the increase. Daring last year we despatched 2,784,707 letters, as against 2,626,947 in 1870, and 1,871,150 newspapers, as compared with 1,622,728 in 1870. It will thus be seen that the amount of our correspondence as a people is very considerable, which indicates a considerable amount of commercial activity amongst up. We are not in the possession of tha statistics of the Australian Colonies on this head, but feel satisfied that New Zealand compares favourably even with Victoria in the matter of correspondence. We may also take such extensive correspondence in a smalt community as indicating not only a more than average amount of education, bnt comparatively easy circumstances. **"• A Distinction Without a Dotbbenci. — Tho following amnsing anecdote is now going the rounds of the clubs and messes. It is said to have happened quite recently. An officer was ordered on duty from one station to another. In his travelling claim appeared the item, <c Porter, 6d." This was struck oat by the War Office. The officer wrote back stating that the porter named had conveyed his baggage from one station to another, and that he would otherwise have had to make use of a cab, which would have cost one shilling and sixpence. In answer to this be received an offioial reply, stating that nnder these ciroumstances bis claim wonld be allowed, bnt that he should use the term " porterage" instead of " porter." He, unable, we presume, to resist the temptation which seized him, answered to the effect, although he could not i find a precedent for the word " porterage," he I wonld nevertheless do as he was told, and wished to know whether he should use the term " 'cab(b)age" when ho meant "cab." The result, we hear, was a severe reprimand from the War Office. The officer, however, had his joke at their expense — not the first one, either, that the petty economy of the present Government has called forth. A Privileged Subject. — Our Station Master (to admiring peasants) : " Lor' bless you ! I've shunted Her Gracious Majesty the Queen lots o' tinsel, when she's come down by our line ! !" Wrong Impressions. — Errata in books.