TALES AND SKETCHES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11998, 21 February 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

TALES AND SKETCHES.

(By W. PETT RIDGE.) Author of " A Son of the State/' " Outaide the Radius," " Wjnman of Portman Square," etc., etc.

THE MACKWORTHS AND TEMPLE BAR.

It is possible the old gentleman knew the weakness of the family, and if so he should have told his son and daughter. On the other nand, whilst knuwmg it, he might have hoped it would skip a generation, or perhaps by effluxion of time disappear entirely.

In. any case, the fact remains that when Mr Mackworth retired from business in Commercial Road, at fifty sametning, gave over tie two snops to bis son and daughter —he had given them very little before —ae retired, without further words of advice, to the village in Devonshire from which he had started torty-two years previously. To do this, he had, of coutse, to go to Paddington station, and his son proposed, the occasion being exceptional, to hire a fourwheeler to convey him and his luggage direct, but the old gentleman suddenly grew angry, declaring he would not run the ruk of going through Fleet Street to save his life, and insisted on going round by underground railway from Aldgate, his boxes being sent on by goods train.

,■ Arrived subsequently at Milton Damerel, he entered into projects of the Bibie Christian* witn. so much zest and thoroughness, tDac tbe few inhabitants rather selfishly negged aim to return to London, where the jiouoiarion was greater and where his aggressive eitorts would consequently be less osconcerting to the individual. This he rerused. to ao—and, indeed, he never did return to town.

'l'o James and Ellen Mackworth, the removal of their father was something of a relief. He bad always been a hard parent, of recent, years ruling them with a set of iron methods which he had used for assistants and apprentices in the shop, with the added by-law that they should never go west of Aldgate. He himself had done so on one occasion only. Business never called hTiii there, because travellers from wholesale firms called every other minute, and it is only lair to say that in the special instance m question, Sir Mackworth was not made aware of ins destination. It happened that an earnest temperance friend called for him in a closed brougham and took him off with sealed orders to the driver. Old Mr Mackwortn came bac& that night with a smashed hat, a torn coat, and other signs of having becu iu the movement. All that the temperance fnend coald say in explanation was mat he had taken the old gentleman to .Exeter Hall, where Mr Mackworth, being asted to speak, thereupon delivered an impassioned address in favour of excessive drinking, and ran from the hall. The eastern beginning of Fenchurch Street, and Leadeiihaii Street therefore marked the limits of his children's travel ill that direction, and accustomed to obey their father unquestioningly since their mother's early death, it never seemed to occur to them that any other course was open to them but that cf compliance. They could go eastwards to Millwall or Poplajas far as they pleased, but at Aldgate and 2»orvh and SouLh existed this abstract wall, which they never dared think of climbing. Wfien James had become engaged to MisBurr, and Elien had become worried with the attentions of -Mr Curling, this fact was tne subject of much raillery, and the confusion of the Mackworths could not be disguised. Miss Burr, whose tastes lay in the direction of the highest society and the best shop windows, expressed her scorn for such old-fashioned ideas. And here it is (after, I fear, an inordinately long prelude) that this story begins. "Well,'' said James to his sister in the mahogany box labelled Counting House, "he's gone. I've seen him off from Aidgate."

"Poor father," remarked Ellen, as she added up two columns of figures simultaneously.

" Poor us I" sighed James. His sister looked up and saw to her. astonishment a light of determination on James's face.

" Six and two," she said, " carry fiftyfour. James, what do you mean ?"

"I'm going to take Miss Burr to the theatre to-night," he said, with determination.

"Mr Curling asked me to go," she confessed. "ne wants me to book eighteeapenny seats at the Pavilion, to see 'A "Woman's Victorv.' But_he's a nuisance."

"We," said James Mackworth, impressively, "we are going to the Adelphi." He raised his voice and directed an assistant to give attention to a customer. "* James !" whispered his sister-, awed. ""I've been running about the backyard long enough,'' said her brcth-cr, usin;" tne language of metapaor. "'l'm going to see what the iront garden's like." = He walked to the doorway to meet a new arrival.

"Gloves, madam: Eight and a quarter: Certainly. Miss, show gloves at once, please." Mr Jamec Mackworth that evening to the wonder and the admiration ol hits sister, dressed in the clothes usualiy reserved ior Sunday mornin;, sent out tor- a white camellia, and presently swaggered off with a determined air, to call at tne wharf gates for Miss Burr." Arrived at her father's house there, he was admitted by the servant, and Miss Burr's agreeable voice hailing him from, the landing above informed him that she would be ready in less than half a second, requesting at- the same timt the instant presence and assistance of the maid. It appeared that Miss Burr bad wrongly estimated the time likely to b-. taken m completing her toilet; "and Mr Mackworth had to wile away half an hour by looking through an elderly volume ou the sitting-room table which contained a series of cheerful wood engravings of punishments awarded in mediaeval and earlier times. These interested him so much that when Miss Burr did come downstairs, apparelled as her maid assured her in a mariner calculated to draw compliments from even a bit of old iron, he forgot to make any remark on h-;r appearance, and the evening for this reasou commenced unfottunatefv.

Outside it had commenced to rain lazily ; and Hiss Burr pointedly directed the conversation to the subject of hansom cabs, but Mr Mackworth, his mind full of the unprecedented advtnture o: West, took little notice, and they presently obtained places in a Blaekwall'and Piccadilly omnibus. Miss Burr, finding herself inspected curiously by other ladies, improved in temper.

" This is the ißank." siie said, condescendingly. " and that's the Mansion House, and that's the Royal Ex I'm telling you wrong. This is the Mansion House and that's the Royal Exchange, or e!=e it's the " "Which way are te going?" asked Mi Mackworth. looking through the windows with interest.

" Along Cheapside." "* You're wrong again. Miss, remarked the conductor. ""We're goincr down Queen Victoria Street and along by St Paul's." '"Same thing,"'said Miss Burr. '* 1 hope you'll like St Paul's, James. You'll be able to take me there now on Sunday afternoons: one's not obliged to stay to the sermon/* "Is there a collection?"' said James Mackworth. *'l don't want to go squan-d'-rin:: money." "Oh," said the young lady, impatiently. " you're so particular about every penny. It's something sickening. I'm sure the genrhrrrun I was engaged to before you took no more notice- of money than nothing at all." " Hadn't h-- jot aayV - It'- -a-,;,," said MU- Burr, with «-!d »••--•>. " r.i b* w.ttv at fh« f xp*.ns» <>f pe"ple -ho at* not prp-nnt. W- shall I* at I.u I 'ir'H- -o'-n." Jam-.* continued to abou: him with v;.;h genuine inte-re-t that otht-r pa-seiig-p became remini*r-nt. calling' to mind the day when they cant" to r.'jn-fon TtK Lmnibu; lumbered -iovc Luiv'it- ILI! mtv

the busy Circus with its illuminated clock, the persistent endeavours on the part of a coloured light advertisement to write a | name, and its criss-cross of traffic. James | began to show signs of excitement. j "Hope there won't be a crush," remarked Miss Burr, apprehensively. *' My previous young gentleman used to get orders ; and," proudly, "I had to take my hat off then. To-night," here Miss Burr sighed—" tonight I suppose it'll get torn off."

" Where are we now ?" " I forget what this street's called. It's got a name, but " An old lady opposite said that this was Fleet Street, and soon they would be at Temple Bar. Temple Bar was altered since her day, added the old lady. She could remember when it spanned the street; and if you drove you went through the middle arch, and if you walked you went through one of the arches at the side.

"I've seen pictures of it like that," Eaid James, putting on his gloves with haEte. *' S iw one only this evening." Miss Burr, resenting the interference of the lady guide opposite, declared that you coi.ld never believe in pictures, and, as for things that appeared in print, why, it was a notorious fact—" James '. James ! We're noL- there vet."

The 'bus had checked itseli opposite Chancery Lane and had started again. Young Mr Mackworth was out on the step.

" Come on," he said with a new air of wild command. "Let's take a cab." '" But it's no distance now!"

He jumped off as the 'bus swerved round by the Griffin. Miss Burr had to face the alternative of preserving her dignity by remaining and perhaps losing sight of him, or of ensuring his companionship by getting out. She stepped out. James Mackworth, with his bowler hat set recklessly back on his head, held open the splashboard of a h?nsom cab.

'" James," she said solemnly, " are you g.iing cranky?"' ■ By stating this idea at such an early stage it resulted that later she was quite unable to express her astonishment. The hansom pulled up at a smart restaurant, where James insisted that they should have dinner, and Miss Burr, with a weak protest to the effect that she had had a sandwich before leaving, found herself induced to follow him. Coming out, another cab took them a few yards -on to a tobacconist, where James bought a one-and-six-penny cigar; the same cab conveyed them to an eminent confectioner's, where a magnificent box of sweets was purchased and presented to Miss Burr. Then, the hour being advanced, all idea of the Adelphi was given up, and James took dress circle seats at the Gaiety, where they saw a bright musical piece, and James made such critical remark? on the appearance of the ladies of the chorus that Miss Burr had to hit him more than once quite hard on the shoulder with her white muff; she would have protested more strongly against his recklessbehaviour, but that the agreeab'.e chocolates rested on her lap, in a box which could be preserved all through her life to give pangs of jealousy to young women of her acquaintance. James decided to leave before the musical piece was over, and suggested that they should finish the evening at the Alhambra ; but here Miss Burr was adamant. Scarlet faced with excitement, James gave the commissionaire who called a cab the sum of half-a-crown for his trouble, and they drove eastward. As- they entered Fleet Street a revulsion of feeiing possessed him. and taking his arm from Miss Burr's waist, he leaned back in the corner. The tight of an electric globe enabled her to see his face.

'* Why, James, dear," she said with concern. '" you're crying. What have I been and said now?"

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.

"'D'you mind," he remarked tearfullv, "if wa get out and—and walk the rest of the wav?"

•"Well,"' said Miss Burr, "of ail the ttrange young men that ever 1 saw, you are really the—Come on then, jump out first. The amount of money squandered on this one evening and the consequent remorse that afflicted James Mackworth, prevented him from repeating for some time the experiment of going West, despite the hints of Miss Burr. James -had begged that she would say nothing of the details to his sister Ellen, and Miss Burr, fearful of losing a sweetheart who could give way even rarely to such boundless extravagance, had at the expense of some pain to obey iiim in this regard. Moreover, when Mr Curling approached bim with an invitation to take Ellen to see over the new offices of Mr Curling's firm in Cockspur Street, James Mackworth at the last- moment forbade her to go. This to Mr Curling"* regret and Miss Mackworth's moderate disappointment- ; for she was- beginning to fear that her hand was required only" for the sake of the purse which it held." Mr Curling wrote to her fully on the subject, and Ellen replied with more reserve than she usually showed; the receipt of this letter at Cockspur Street caused Mr Curling, who saw his hopes of a life of idleness imperilled, to make so inaaiy incorrect entries in regard to berths engaged for South Africa, that the ship which left Southampton on the following Saturday, became a man-of-war with mutiny aboard. He urged her to meet him to* say good-bye, and the tea-shop just opposite the Law*courts was selected as a midway house. Ellen Mackworth went with a definite resolution to break off the engagement, which was entailing so much trouble of mind ; and, arriv-f ing there, found herself at once proposing to Mr Curling a daring plan, with a regisiry oflice for its principal scene. Mr Curling, rendered breathless by her impetuous argument, allowed his tea to become cold, and with an artful air of reluctance and coyness agreed.

It. was some time before James Mackworth found himself sufficiently recovered from the wild expenses of his evening in the West. He and Miss Burr talkedit over in whispers sometimes as they strolled through Victoria Park, and gradually James began to speak less solemnly of the circumstances, recovering at last so much as to reter to it as a "jamboree.'' and to declare, that he knew quite well what he wasi about all the time. Mis s Burr wisely contested this argument, finishing by the "definite remark, several times repeated, that it nvu.-t never be allowed to happen again. This induced James out of pure obstinacy to go up alone one night, after he had seen Miss Burr home, in order to see whether it were not possible to preserve his usual commonsense in the neighbourhood that had proved so fateful, taking the precaution of leaving his money at home. He stopped in FleetStreet to see a row, and in this would have been embroiled, but that he cautiously withdrew. Rut he had no sooner passed the Grffiin than be found himself (albeit a quiet man. ignorant of the science of pugilism) offering to fight & man twice his size who had brushed against him accidentally ; and the trouble would have been great, seeing that the large man was hot with a successful evening at the National Sporting Club, only that two constables flung themselves fcttween rhem. and one hurried James off to Middle Temple Lane, whilst the other Bwured the burly man that James would be found running "down Essex Street. Repulsed by this incident, James walked up and down Fleet Street for half-an-hour, trying in vain to understand why the mere fact of passing the confines of the city should thus alter his temperament. " Perhaps." he said eventually, " perhaps I _'o to the wrong side of the statue."

Here w.:s ;>u idea tu be put at once to ti:e proof. He ei.pl up very carefully on the north side of Fleet Street, past St ihinstan's L'hurch. pa.-t Chancery Lane, past the- branch ot'rice of the Hank of England. Immediately that he had arrived thus far, he could tell that ids brain was in a tur- • 00.1.

A mo-', respectable matron stood aside to let bun raffle by , turning, he placed one arm round her neck, and. lifting his hat, ki--> d her. Lite lady's son took James Mackworth by the elbows and kicked him back iuto the city again. James went home- hat less. .Now, this fact reminded

him of his old fathers experience at Exeter Hall.

" James," cried his sister over the stairs, as he entered shamefacedly the private door beside the shop in Commercial Road, and took his knotted handkerchief from his head, '" James, is that you?" " Doesn't look like it," he replied, looking at a mirror in the passage. " But, surely, you know," argued his sister with impatience. " Miss Burr's up here."

"Apologise for me," he said confusedly. " But I want you here. We've been having a long talk) and we want your help."

"James," cried the voice of Miss Burr. Sh>; appeared to clap her hands with a pivtty air of authority. "Upstairs at once, please."

Give me two minutes," he begged

"Be a second longer," said the voice of Mi s Burr, "and you and me won't speak." it seemed particularly hard that on the on,: occasion of his life when he would have preferred to go straight to his room, he should be thus compelled to submit himself to the. criticism of the two young ladi.s. He had a wash in the back kitchjii, going tenderly over the bruises of his face, and brushed some of the mud from his clothes. "" Well," said Miss Burr, as he entered thf sittiug-vooin upstairs, " you're a pretty object, 1 don't think." •* James, James," wailed his sister, "if

your poor father was to see you now!" " Haven't you a word to say for yourself ?"' demanded his fiancee. "Can't you do nothing but stand there like a—like a great gawk? Where've you been? Who've you met? What was the row about? Answer this very minute." "' Been up West," he said.

Miss Burr and Miss Mackworth looked at each other. A letter lay open on the table in Mr Curling's handwriting, and, without a word, th e sister handed this to James. Then sue bowed her head, resting it en the table, and wept, Miss Burr patting her back comfortingly. James read, touching his nose with his handkerchief, to assure himself that the flow of blootl had at lengtu really stopped. "Now, listen to mo, you two," said Miss Burr, holding up her muff for silence. "Isn't it a very funny thing that whenever either of you two go West, you go and do something silly;"

"W e ail have different ideas about humour,' said James, moodily, "and I don't know that this is what I should ferm highly amusing. Whatever possessed you " uere he turned to Ids sister—" to go and promise to marry that bounder'/"

" Arid what possessed you," said Ellen, with spirit, "to go up there after seeing Miss Burr home to-uigut and gel your fact spoilt';" " j •'Let's argue one thing at a time," he said. " Don t bring in. side issues. \"ou, know very well he's only after your niunev."

"lor all you know, he may love me lor myself alone.'' •

"So, dear," said Miss Burr, judicially. " Xo: 1 m afraid it isn't safe to assume that. What I think is so—well, I'll say odd this time—what is so odd is that you two can't go into the Strand even a lew yards but what you go and make yourselves look like—perhaps I'd better not'say. ' " Father,"' said James, thoughtfully, " was just the same. There's some mystery about it. Tne only thing I can see to do now is that neither oi us must ever in all our lives go there again." " Nice look-out for me," said Miss Burr; stroking her muff furiously the wrong way. '* 1 don't know that I want to get married to a who can't trust himself to take me to a West End theatre or to buy a fashionable hat."

There was a pause. Ellen Mackworth, through her tears, 'read again Mr Curling's letter in which the marriage was fixed loi. the ensuing week; James Mackworth played a tune arranged for the left hand on the table ; Miss (Burr drew on her gloves.

"Am I supposed to walk home down Cannon Street Eoad alone!"' «lemanded the young lady. "I'll see you home," said James, sighing ; " perhaps it'll be the last time."

*' James!" cried both of the young ladies, appealingly. "Don't go doing anything dreadful."

Miss 'Burr did most of the talking on the way down to the wharf, contradicting ketself in a monologue of ten minutes as many times as the average lady would have done. James, brooding over the ill-luck of the evening, and wondering how he would hide the defects of his face from his assistants on the following day, allowed her to talk on without interruption, and indeed without giving to her words the least notice. Two soft-booted constables walking on the other side, misled by the dictatorial tones of Miss Burr's voice, argued in an undertone on the number of years that the partits' had 'been married, and one gave his opinion that she would never have dared talk like that before the happy day ; which only shows how mistaken a policeman can be when he tries. Miss Burr was genuinely annoyed, and it was quite wise on her part to intimate the fact; by doing this freely it followed that when ther arrived at the bridge" that led to her father's house she had by the effort of talking found n:nro than one excuse for- James, and had apologised in a most lady-like way for her impulsive remark about West End theatres and bonnet shops. James, rousing himself from his thoughts, found that she was now deriding these establishments, declaiinc that the Pavilion in Mile End Road saiis" fied her highest desires in dramatic art. and that Someone and Co.'s in A'dgate was, if anything, in advance of the West End fashion in regard to hats. "There was something else I wanted to say to you." remarked Miss Bun-, frownins with an effort to remember and stroking his shoulder pleasantly. '• What could it have been?" " It's getting late." remarked James. " That wasn't it." "Something about Ellen''" " I'm going" to see that fellow Curling." she *aid, casually, '• and tell him that vou've squandered all the profits of the shop"." " You're getting up a nice character for me."

"We shall see then whether he's after her money or whether—l know what it was I wanted to tell you. About a book." "My dear!" protested James, weakly. "Dou't begin talking about books at uiis time of night. I want to get home and do things to my face." "Wait here one moment," ordered Miss Burr. "It's the first time I've ever conn across the name ill a book before. 1 felt quite pleased." She ran across the narrow bridge, and entering the house re-appeared with the calf-bound volume that had by its engravings interested James on a. previous occasion.

" I've turned down the page," she whispered. "Goodnight, James." She kissed an undamaged pan of his lace. "Be good!"

Anticipating little of comfort front a mere old-fashioned book, James Mackworth nevertheless stopped under the first lamppost to examine the reference; lie was not without the interest common to us all in tee our names in print. Even the ;,d----vertisement of his btkines.- in the local paper for which he paid never failed to brighten Friday evening. He read : "" It was customary to expose thus the heads of those who had been punished for espousing the Stuart cause ; and our illustration shows the Temple Bar of this period. On one occasion a certain •Simon de Mackwortli was executed on this very spot, and it is recorded that when search came to be made fer the head, in order that it might be exhibited on a pole with the others, it could not he found, and. indeed, no trace of it was afterwards discovered. His last word?, it is s:iid, were • let my descendants lake warning !' " Some minds move slowlv ; and not until half-past five on 'the following day. with the cU'ot! i.f hidiinr his face from cystomas and assistants, did the solution arrive. He communicated v.dth ins sister, and she. relieved by a note from Mi Curling which stated that from facts tint had come to his notice, he thought it bet let in the interest of ail parties to break olf the engagement at once, agreed that his

view had the great recommendation of probability. A Mackworth had lost his head at Temple Bar; the Mackworths would always lose their heads at Temple Bar. The brother and sister could have danced with delight at thus finding an explanation of their misfortunes ; but there remained when this had passed ai feeling of regret that limitations should be thus set upon them. . It was the wise and ingenious Miss Burr who discovered an alternative that but for their excitement would doubtless have occurred to them.

"What's the matter," asked that young lady, suddenly, " with the Embankment on the one hand aud 'Olborn on the other?" And as it proved that there was nothing whatever the matter with these two thoroughfares, and that the ill-luck of the Mackworths was confined to the end of Fleet Street and the beginning of the Strand, which they henceforth avoided, Mks Burr married James. Ellen remains single, and all three will, 1 think, live happily ever afterwards.