LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3799, 18 June 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A REMARKABLY RARE CASE. (<f bridged /rom t7ie Argosy). (Continued.) Drew, ruefully consoious thafc "others" meuufc in this case hia sister Eliza, looked somewhat crestfallen for a moment, then cheered up again, and bid the young girl lake heart and remember that sho had one friond to stand by her still. " You do me good always," she said at last, with an effort recovering the mmner in which sho had first nddressed him ; " living ulone, 1 grow faint-hearted at times— never doubting him, you understand ; nevor for one inßtant doubting him ; only fearing he may be dead ; what else could keop him from me ? And if it is death, why that is the will of God, and I ehall bo reconciled to it in time— only, it ia weary waiting." " Wait and trust a whilo longer, ma'am," said tbe farmer; "we shall know tbe rights of it ull some day ; I've aaid so again and again, and I ropeat it now ; this fog hides fche aky, maybo, but fcho aky'e there all the same ; don't yon get down-hearted, but wait and trust awhile longer." He gathered up the reina us he spoke, und with one more cheerful " good-byo " disappeared along the track leading straight upwards to tho creßt of the Downs, in wliich direction his land lay, and tho house lio now occupied. Having been delayed so long, he changed his mind about proceeding to the town, and wont towards home at once. " What will bo the end of it ? I can see no furtlier ahead in my mind that I can ace through thia fog to-day," ho mutterod to himself, as the wheels jolted along tlio uneven road, and tho mist crept round him ; "it has been a queer business, and just my luck that if should huppon to Matt i'o of all people in tho world." Mattio'a story waa simple enough. Any one would have told you it haa heen rcpr-ule'd often und often in tho world'e history; v common tule, and not, surprising in the Lad.. lf Drew wus surprised at tho wrong in it, that was only boeauso wrong was apt to surprise him. He found it easier to believe in right, and to credit men with good intentions. The orphan child of a formor servant in a wealthy fuinily, Mattie had shared the lessons and the play of the young daughter of the house, until a time camo when it waa convenient to turn the h uni bio companion adrift to work for herself. It may have been a piece of the ill-luck his neighbours ascribed to Drew, that it should have heen to his farm the girl ciinic as help to his lister, or it may have been a piece of his constitutional good-nature that made him ugroo to take under this roof this pretty lusa, untiaincd for service and educated fur uluve hor station. He heard of her quite accidentally through the steward ofthe people who hud hit be. to befriended her. As for them, they were relieved ti he,r of a good home for her, and one far away from Ihe parklike, healthy lind, witli its pmes and die.-t---nut**, in which plouß uit pluce Mattie'a linea hud hitherto fallen. Mattie had been given an education tlmt night have sJtlisfied a School Board inspc-for of to-day, and had moreover caught, up little refinements of (■pf-ch and manner that made her quite a sup-'rijr young \\(*i-****i. SI-., might have gone out us a nuraery governess, hu: iv ; ..v-,y! 1.v.. if more sail-died with 11 cjui.lry hfe iv a farm-hou**-*- where there wus a young child lo look after, and li-rht work rci-iiired of her. The awakening was rude when her patron said carcleH.-ly that tho tii-i.-was (-Jii.r for her to do something for herself, I avd that a suitable situation should be found her. Muttie had a spirit of her own; -,ho did ' not wuit. to sec what would ho dono for her, I but sought the steward, uhvuys a good friond of hers, unci Ihrough him found a situation «

for heraelf; fiad that it look hei- ■■ nite into another part of Susaex, and far from all old a-sociations. ; Drew's widowed sister, Mrs Banket, who lived wifch him, and whose child ifc was Mot lie had come to nurse, amongst other duties too numerous to mention, for there was but one sorvant kept— Drew's sistor exclaimed in despair when the furmer brought ho.no the young, ladylike, delicate-looking girl •— "We want a strong, haid-working lnr-a! This one doea not know her right hand from her left ; she ia aa good as a lady— or n>* had, and haa never milked a cow in her life! What were you thinking of to brim? her here ?" h Sho came in my way. I suppose you can teach her. She has not a friend in the world to look to." " Sho will not be worth her wagea." "Ah; that's juet my luck; well, we must do the beat wo can with her. If theatcvird had never in -nt ioned hor to me, now— but; then he did mention her, and here ahe ie." There sbe was, and thoro she staved. .Apt to learn, willi-ig to bo taught, grateful for tho real kindness she met with, Mattie was soon the best hand at milking for miles round, son devo'ed to tho baby. Threo yoara passed quietly, and then came the romance of Mattie'a life. She was twenty thafc summer, and AcJam Armitage, a grave man, was fully ten years her senior. A great traveller, niemb?r'of a world-renowned scientific nociely, a student and discoverer— he was, between two scientific expeditions, refreshing heart and brain by a walking tour through (he homo court'ies. Adam's walking tour ended at Ihe farm Drew had taken only a year before, and the dwelling house ifc had been found moro convenient; to inhabit than the smaller building on tho old land close to the road. Mr Armitage found the pure air of the Downs good for him. He hired a little upper chamber, from tho window of which ono could inhale the strong eea breezo that yet came to it, subtly scented from the blossoming clover across wbich it blew. He mudQ friends with all the family. To Maltie it was delightful to meet once more some one with nil the tricks of Bpeech and the maimer of the more reiinod society amongst which her youth had beon passed. Littlo Harry followed this now friend wherever he went; H rry's mother called him a right-down pleasant gentleman ; the farmer called him a good man. Drew took hia idea from the long talk.; tho men had together, and to which Mattie would listen, humbly feeling that, in spite of her owu superior education, fcho furmer had moro in common with Mr Armitage, und understood hira better than aho could. Living in a practical work-a-day world himself, the world ot science had a wonderful fascination for Drew. He liked few things better than to hoar of recent discoveries, and the light thrown by thorn upon revealed religion. For to the farmer ifc waa l'Jhl and nofc darkucsß. Adam Armitiigo was r man after tho farmer's own heart. He did nofc know much aboufc his guest ; indeed no ono questioned him bb to who ho waß or whence ho came ; ifc was from whafc ho knew of him porfoually — of his thouuhtß, and worda, aud waya, thafc Drew called him a good man. They all missed him whon ho went awnv, Mattie most, of all. Bufc tho following summer saw him fchoro again, a welcome old friend this limo, and no stranger. Drow, a keen obsorver of all that wenfc on arouud him, was not bo much laken by surprise ua his sister wae, whon one day, towards tho end of this second visit, Adam and Mattie woro both mysteriously misßing. A afcrong-armed country lass mado her appearance before nighfc. She waa tho hearer of a note from Mattie, confessing that aho and Mr Armitago wore married, and hoping tho little aorvant aent might supply her place so that; no one would be inconvenienced. Drew might shake hia head and look thoughtful, but Mr Armitago was his own master, and it wns not. the first; time a gentleman had married a country lass. Besides, the deed was done, and past recall. Thoy had gono quietly to ono ot tho churches in tho town from whence the sound of bells floated up to fche farm, and had been married by Bpecial license. Adam had taken a lodging for his bride, and there they p.s-scd ono brief, bright week of happiness. They ono morning walked quietly back together, Mattie blushing and smiling, and looking so lovely and ladylike in a simple dresa such us sho used to wear before sho eumo to tho farm, that thoy hardly know hor. Adam explained that; ho moaut to loavo his wife for two daya— no moro— in the nro of hor old frienda ; at the end of that ti;.*o lio would return to fetch her. There wero arrangements to bfi made with regard to tho Bcidntific expedition about to start immediately, lt would sail without him now, but it behoved hira to do his beat Urn', hie placo should be as well filled as miglit bo. Thero was also his mother to ccc, and to prepare for receiving Mattie. In a day or two at the farthest he would be back. Mattio walked a littlo way wifch her husband and tho farmor, along tho breezy uplands, aud then Adam sent hor back, and hast -wed his own eleps in the direction of the little station at tho foofc of the Downs. When he camo again ho said laughing, it would be from B • • - Staiion, and that he would drive in a fly through the Stonoden Gate, and along the "track, the only approach to a carriago road leading to tho farm, " I Bhall lmvo a box of fino things to bring for my litlL* wife," ho cried, casting a, loving glance afc the lovely fine at his eido. Mattie answered that aho wantod no fine things, but went away smiling ns ho meant; sho aliould do, and only paused now and fchon to look after the two men us they rcnininod in sight. It waa natural that she should foel a littlo afraid of this unknown lad} 7 , Adam's mother, but that fear was the only shadow on Muttie's path. Sho had given her heart frankly away, and an instinct scorned to assuro her that sho had given il, into safe keeping. It was an idyll, a poem, ns truo a lovo etory us fche world has seen, that had written ilecu: hore in thiß out-of-the-way spot on tho lonoly Sussex Downs; and lor two daya longer Muttio was in Paradise— a fool's Paradise, Eliza Bankea said later. On tho third day they might look for Adam to roturn, but that day passed, and many another, until tlio days wero weeks, and the weeks months, nnd he neither camo nor wrote. Mattio remomberod how, when alio had turned to look back for the last time upon that homeward walk, she bad scon his flguro distinct against tho sky for one instant, aud in tho next lo.!t ifc entirely as ho passed out Bight over fcho swelling lino of billa. Juat so alio Bocmed to havo lost him in one instant out of her life. Aud yot, she never loafc faith and trust in him ; never ceased to watch for his coming again. It was not long before Mrs Bankcs, who had onco believed in him na much us any of them, began to shrug lv r shoulders, und remark that it was a poor (ale, but a common one enough. Mattie had her wuy, and made Mr Armitago mat ry her, but ho ha. l regretted it na soon ua the deed was done ; they woi, ld never see anything moro of him ; sho might make up hor mind to that ; only Drow ought to hunt him out and forco him lo niuko Mattie un allowance, or do somolhing — Mrs Bankes did not clearly specify what— to make it up to her, sinco it was evident that, supposing the marriage was a true one— and how could they tell whether i*; was or not when the girl had gone off in Mint sly tiny by herself, which was not by any moana conduct they had a right to expect 'from her— oven if tin* niiinijgo wus v truo one and Muttio n ay i fo at all, what was sho but a (h-seited wifo ior the rest of her days? Drew after a lim.*, cither goaded to the step by h ; s sisler's loudvoiced arguments, or prompted to it by Inn own senso of what was due lo Muttio, not only took pains to ascertain that tho marriage was real enough, but tlio lurlhor pains of searching for and finding tho nddrc->B of A -bun Armi'.r.gc in London. By that time Mutt'e had fully made up In ■• mind tlmt her huil nd hai, after all, sailed with fho c*pcdifi'*-'. and that his letters t.o heraelf lind cither miscarried or been intercepted. She Wiis roady to make up her mind to unj thing rather than to admit the fnintoat RiiggCHtion i hat he was false to her and to himaelf— to the high Btandard n, ,-, „i X , \, U c\r, iuid that t lie fanner know, was the ono hy which Adam measured n-en and thinp,a. and his own lifo and conduct. It was strango how this giil and hey former mnsici* hjlh trusted Adam in the face of his inexplicable silence; in the face of ovon 11 more oiiiinouu discovery ii--*d-> hy Divvy when in f own --flic ciNeovory t hut he had never mentioned Muttie's name'to Ins motile*-, it alluded fo Ma' tie ut all. Aa '• iAdam, Mrs Ar-nita*-!- had drclarctl ho was notwith lu-r then, nnd 1 !••.'. idio could not givo an addre." that would find him ; un assertion thnt. confirmed Mattie in tho idea thut he had -darted on thoo fur-away tuivcls lie had so often spoken of to hor. (To ho continued.)