A Ghost in Oils.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 522, 22 December 1888, Page 1

A Ghost in Oils.

A STORY TOLD ONE CHRISTMAS KVK.' (Written for the Obsehveil ) '""jßsiii\Y Jove, what a face !' ejaculated Captain Ilpiif Forrest — known amongst his fellowJ^JP officers by the sobriquet, 'Wild Bert' —pausing before the portrait of a beautiful girl, as, in company with a quartette of kindred spirits, he wandered leisurely amongst the magnificent Art Collection for which Wentworth, the country seat of the D'Arcy's, was famous. ' I'll lay a hundred to one there's a history attached to that picture.' The veteran butler, who acted in tiie capacity of guide, and who, since the advent of the' visitors, had regaled them with the heroic deeds of dead and gone D'Arcys, smiled grimly as he replied : 'You'd stand a good chance of winning the bet, sir. ' That there is the portrait of a ghogt. 1 ' Egad !' laughed Lieutenant Towns, Bert's fboon companion, closely scrutinising the painting through his eye-glass. * 1 didn't know ladies of the spiwit persuasion were bo deucedly substantial ; but lets hear the stowy. There's no time like Chwistmas Eve for unearthing ghosts.' ' You're welcome to hear all there is to tell, gentlemen,' said tha ancient factotum, fairly bristling with the importance of the situation. ' But you'd find it more comfortable-like sitting in the Great Hall.' ' Happy inspiwation,' said Towns ; ' ghosts are nothing without a flame of some sort.' Following in the wake of their pompous leader, the four friends were soon ensconced in the snuggest of chairs, before a huge Yule ' log, and, having eaoh lighted a choice Manilla, prepared to listen. , The old butler, delighted with the interest manifested in his story, cleared his throat, and began : '. It was just about this time last year it all happened." My young master was a chip of the old block, even when I carried him on my shoulder, in his little white frock, with his sleeves tied up with ribbons. Even in the old Earl's tim 6, the D'Arcy's wasn't given to monkish babits, but when the young master came into the estate, he filled the. house to , the brim with his college chums. It would do your hearts good, gentlemen, to hear the jokes they played Master Hubert. Bed give dinners to the parsons round about, and make their pious hairs , stand up like hedgehog quills with the i yarns he'd spin. ' ■ 'It was New Year's Day when I heard him tell j the story of the ghost portrait, which he painted himself from memory, he told them. There were two bishops amongst the guests, and, bless you, gentlemen, the pair of them drank two extra bottles of thirty-year-old port to wash the flavour away.. Master Hubert had been fidgettylike since Christmas morning, spending most of his time dabbling with his paints, though 1 never saw what he was doing till he showed the picture to the gentry after the New Year's dinner. The telling of the story came about in this way : One of the big church pots told the Master he ought to bring a wife to the old home, but he only laughs in his hearty way and says, '•'l've had one dose of love, and don't want another. Fill your glasses, gentlemen, and you shall hear my experience." 'The Bishops shook their heads and covered their glasses with their hands, and they did not seem to see me when ' I filled 'em. Master Hubert tosses his off and begins his story, but p'raps you'd understand it best in his own, words.' ■ ' : \ So saying, the old man disappeared, returning in a few minutes with a small roll of manuscript, which he handed to Forrest. Nothing loth to act as raconteur, Bertie flung the end of his cigar into the fire, and, unfurling the paper, read as follows :— 'It was on Christmas Eye, at Lady— f-'s ball,!, first- met 'the beautiful Clarine, Marquise de i St. Hilaire, a young widow over whose charms London society raved, Was it Fate! that luved me to the festive scene ? I know not! Suffice it that her beauty, from the moment I saw her, fascinated me as the snake, .does its victim. I was . powerless to .resist', her,;, iveirdf '-loTelinass;, Ea/chVday found mB at, her sidle. .The pleasure j ; stie; evinced in my YBOciety> spori gave me the bi|BSße& conviction thatSmjrl^vi? wasf rsturriedl; I

! proposed, and waß accepted. I'rom the day of our engagement a subtle cbaage came over my darling. Her joyousness gave place to melani clioly. Entering her boudoir unannounced a fsw mornings prior to the day fixed for our wedding, I found hoi* sobbing bitterly in the very abandonment of grief. Gently placing my arm round her, I earnestly besought her to tell me the cause of her sorrow. Clinging to * me, as though imploring my protection, in broken words Clarine narrated the story — a curious one, in truth, which told of a passionate longing experienced from her earliest girlhood to have her beauty immortalised on canvas by an artist who would give to it the uncanny weirdness which was its greatest charm ' In vain famous men sued for permission to paint her portrait, their work lacked life she declared. At seventeen she became the wife of the Marquis de St. Hilaire, . , an old man of eighty, who only lived to cdebrate the anniversary of his marriage.. After his death, the longing to sit for her picture returned with redoubled force. In company with her maid she visited every studio in Paris, but found no artist capable of executing .the work in accordance with her ideas. One meiEorable day, whilst seeking* shelter from a lfeavy shower in the portal , of a .dilapidated house she saw through the half closed door the figure of a man bending over an easel. Without hesitation she entered with her faithful bonne, and, looking over the artist's shoulder, beheld the unfinished portiait of a girl so exquisite irii colouring, so ethereal in aspect, she remained for a moment lost in admiration. Here was the genius she had sought so long in vain. She gently placed her hand' upon the artist's arm to attract his attention. He turned,, revealing a iface of such diabolical beauty that Clarine instinctively shrank from him. Jn a few words her request was made known, and, much to her surprise, peremptorily refused. ' Day after day the infatuated girl revisited the tumble-down studio, with the same-result, until at last, evidently annoyed by her imprH'tunij,y, the artist consented to paint her portraiton his own terms. He would take neither gold, silver, nor jewels in payment ; what he stipulated for was her signature to a document by which she became his at the end of her second year of widowhood. Clarine left the studio burning. with indignation, and returning to her hotel, battled with, the strange fascination which held her captive, doing her best to drown thought in a whirl of dissipation. Vain'hope ! the third day saw her again at the artist's home. Entering his presence, she demanded the paper, and, dashing off her signature, hastily arranged for a first sitting ' As the portrait grew (the sittings took place at her hotel) everything was forgotten in the happiness of possession; but' when the last touches had been added the revulsion o£ feeling was terrible. Frantically she pleaded to be released from her compact, offering the whole of her vast fortune in exchange for the fatal document. The fiend was obdurate. ' " I cannot marry a man I hate, and of whose ■very name I am ignorant," she cried. ' Eegarding her, with a saidonie smile, he replied : ' , . , '" Of my name you need not long remain in ignorance, Marquise. I am. Satan." « With these words he vanished,.leaving Clarine stretched white and senseless on the floor of the impromptu studio. Here she was discovered by her maid. The swoop was followed by an attack of brain fever --' . . , '"You may well come to a stand-still, sir, ' broke in the old butler* as 'Bertie paused a moment in the perusal of the manuscript.' ' When my. master came to that part of th^e story, the eyes of the bishops fair rolled, out of. their heads. But go on, sir, there's more to; come. Praps a glass of port would serve as a reviver,, gentlemen ?'■',< , , • Towns, seizing the occasion of the old man's absence, ejaculated :'." This beats your electric yarn to pieces, Warren. You'd better convert the hero into a spot of grease; and take him up with , blotting/ paper." After indulging in some rare old wine and a cigar, Forrest continued theteoital. .■ : ' . . '' . .-., , .;':■ % '<■'•&'-' 'I strove by tender epithets and lovifag .car-, esses to. remove what I knew to be: a" monstrous hallucination from her :mindl : She, seerhjed. happier alter unburdening herself Ho me:;- Gut wedding day dawned; ; The suavßhbne^ the:birds;; sang, ''■' brightness.' ywas^ ;eve*y wh'e^ ceremonyiVT^^ 'my darUng's amTal a^th^ltar with impatience,; .Shefeaiftp^anro^

whose house the breakfast was lp' take place. .A. vis on of loveliness in her Bilketr robes, 1 her fait head bent, iWr face white as marble.' . '";'. ' The words were spoken ; I took the first kiss ; from my wife's lips. In the vestry efre 'signed herself: ' Olarine, Aiarquise de at Hilaire;' for thelasttime. -•'"•• . .. .' 'We were alone, ip the carriage. I caught her ; ' passionabely in my aims, and, as I bent my, .face-' to hers;' she whispered," Huberc this is the last day of my second year of widowhood." '[:■ \ . " 'The sumptuous breakfast was 1 over. \^ehad arranged to go to my house in Portland Square, and leave for Paris the following day. My wife, greeted the assembled seryants with grave «weet--ness, but with a face bo path> tic in its melancholy ' i hopelessness that I saw the women' exchange; I glances of wonderment. - 'As I took her in my arms and welcomed her to her home, she clung to me ; murmuring; words of love and> entreaty for protection; ; During dinner, and until ten o'clock, she regained, all her old 'vivacity. Her sallies caused .Benson,;.', the staid man-servant, to smile, indulgently ;. btltr," as the time passed on'she became strangely siUnt,^ [ sitting by illy side on a low stool, my -hand claspfeji. : in both of hers. She 'awaited for "., th'e.*s!tr^E^l of midnight J, i ' •-•." . •■ ', ■ • '"'-'''"''l ;^v'.' 'It was New Year's eve, and as the peal f of bells broke on' the 'air, she started', her face r blanched with an awful fear ; her eyes,' distended with horror, were fastened on one corner of the I r °om, ' , . ' In a moment the lights assumed a sickly" . glare, and 1 saw the figure of a man. His face. ' I handsome with the beaute dc < (liable, was disfigured by an odious leer; his arms were, outstretched towards my darling. She turned to. me in mute, agonising appeal. ••.■-■' i-". ' I strove to speak, to move. ' My tongue cla?e, to the roof of, my mouth; my limbs were ' heavy .' as lead, and utterly incapable of motion. I might have been suddenly transformed to a pillar ,of stone. Clarine rose, and, step by step, I saw;;. the woman I loved drawn towards the fiend who , : awaited her. Great drops of agony rolled down .:"', my face. ' , ' Nearer, nearer, by some invisible power, my darling approached ncr doom, still keeping her piteous gaze en me. He touched her ; one arm slowly folded round her waist like a venomous snake round its victim. ' I knew if ouceheheid her in his close embrace she would be lost to me for ever. Oh ! the , anguish of, that struggle ! — ;the i fierce longing for; power to wrench .tier from his grasp ! Her „ lace was deadly in its pallor. Still the demon smiled his hideous smile; He, bends his head;, his lips seek hers !— when, ,wi£h a 1 superhuman effort, I burst the bonds that held- me captivej and with a yell— woke toiind myself lying on the ' ;. top of my bed, with my poots oh.' ' . .; : 'It was Christmas Eve,, you see , gentleman,' said the old retainer, rubbing his hands .gleefully, ,-, and Master Hubert and 'some of his boon coin- : . panions had been having a ohampaghe supper.' ■.■,.

— Attention is directed to the , irient of Mr W. . H, Hazard,, gunsmith, -of 116, ! . , Quoen-street. .Now thai the sporting, season „ is 7 ,, upon us people requiring anything, in that lin»; should look in arid inspect his large stock:". Tjbie „. shooting gallery remains open aB usual, and Mir Hazard intends pursuing his usual custom of gM 1 ? ssentmg prizes to the highest scorers. No :«n---trahcti fee is required. - * r— The patent Spanish sock is attracting,. ? attention. Itis stated to, be.sellihg, by huridicedß-\ The inventor and patentee claims, that this sobk, ■ increases the 'height;, and beautifies the figur«»i ' . ' I aud consequently all the girls are , after it.— Safe A'dvt. ':• " „.; ' ■,■,"■'• .•- ;■ •■.;■ ,- p . > ■'■ \ —The tourist bobm is i ; -n6yjr^^ booming, and Messrs Thos. Copkand:§bn%agency in : ;,¥ictoii» V;-; Arcade is ruahe4 wi^^'eppWanxiousl-'to/ 1 i: arxarige their ;holiaay i '; i tri.i>s 'th^ptig'h',) the jfirto:! : Wiiy;? ■beoa.usS i byJd6jn'g:^ißttey I can s^ye aheap; ofmoneyi and see! r as'tt'^ by- consulting^ ', Messi-s- Cook as ! .they Vwoiild >;. . otherwise.-' hav l e;-ttf/-- ; B'4F^''^'fi' ;^\i ; 'o-' .-'enjoy./ "'Mi I '-!^ iiilbi qugh, the" pop^ai. ioo^l|^alager,-i ifl-^waysli . vea,dy;to' an%'er ; '(iu^t'i'es.'- VTK^.'^^lirm' s^^BHto^^hL*',?"; .■wll book^you-.jfchrbug^ „ablJB £ or: three^eka: ;- J F^cj^b^s|^|^^;|^^|^ :-nr ■•ondqn, and^.berein ''?xo&gsssmo??i ': Jp y .^g^pying^ir^^y-Ho.bsph^slr^ ;^E;B?Ei^Majn|^^|g^^»|g^^^^^g