LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4341, 23 March 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

FAB STRANGER THAN FICTION.

(London Society.) CHAPTER IV. A HBW BBBTICB. Benjamin Calcey had been dead for more than a year, and his widow waß still at service »' earning her livh-g," and sending home the best part of her wag*B, which remittances Mrs Briart carried at once to the Yostrcffice savings bank. In tho little garden down at Dapplemead the cresseß had grown and the roses^ bloomed and the honeysuckles scented the air— "j"^ as though poor Ben were hero to see them," said his mother-in-law, sighing at the exceeding fairness and heartlessness of Nnfur?, while in a large house in a. by no means fashionable quarter of London Mrs Calefy ■was soending a hot dusty -summer. Bhe had left Lady Poplett'a eervice.-not for any fault of her own. or for any fault she had tofindwi-h hor mistress. If fussy, lady Poplett wtt* kird ; if wrnm^niousj jusf. ; if exacting, regular. It was not the work br.' the place which tried Ellen. She missed the life and freedom that had of late years fallen solargeh *.j her lot— the sound of many voices, the prai'r .- of children, the laughter of young people -^vr-d ehs gladly availed herself of the opportunity offered by a whim of her ladyship to givo notice. In the very d nd of tho winter-time Lady Poplett elected to go abro«d; and, though her maid accompanied her as far as Paris, ahd remained there till she found a Frenchwoman to her mind, Mrs Calcey soon returned to England, having said plainly thab for no wageß which could be offered would rhe etay where the sea and a long journey and an expensive system of telegrams separated her from the de.r oneat Dapplemead. "Well, well," commented her ladyship, who, though she had no dear ones anywhere, was not hard-hearted or unsympathetic, " it ia natural enough, I- daresay ; when you aro forty years older, however, you will perhaps think less of others and moro of your own intereste." And having co spoken, Lady Poplett set herself to work to get her maid a very good place indeed ; nor. in a great family, but with gentlefolks, who, though somewhat unburdened with thiß world's goode, were a vory joyous and united and pleasant household. No time or opportunity to be dull or feel lonely inside those doors, I warrant, what with Misß Molly's piano and Maste* Jack's friends, and those growing-up girls Bara and Annie, and tho young Tnrk George, and studious little • Arthur, and Miriam the youngest of all, and the. pet of brothers, sisters, father and mother. Before Mrs Calcey, or Ellen as she was called then, had been with them a- week she loved every member of the family. Bhe could babble to the little ones about her own children toddling along the bank3_6f the canal; and'-Miss Molly had put aside some old dresses for the eirls, and her mamma looked over the wardrobes of_ her own t.oys to find forne garments that might clothe the fast-growing country. urchin»' limbs. Ahj me ! that was a kindly and generous family. No servant left them with dry eyes, no friend parted from them unmoved. Lazarus at their gates hodfar more thancrumbs from their table ; and it wa« amongst the legends of the family that once their father had, during the courte of foreign travel, lighted upon a certain man who happened to be in grievous trouble, and tendod aid succoured him till he was well. This st'-ry Missr Moll v told the new maid, with many pretty hesitations.- and mantling blusbep ; but she "did not explain -that when the strcugpr rerovered ho vowed, if both in the f n: 'jro ' wre agreeable, hiß boy should marry Mr Mootrelle'a girl. He had long been 'dead, but his project survived him. Some day Mies Molly hoped to become the wife of that son, long- since grown to manhood. What a del'ghtful fuss there, always was when - the young ladiea were bidden to- a party I They did not go out to any grand balls, for thoy were not rich, and they did not visit except amongst tbeir relations and intimato friends. If dresses could have been ordered from some fashionable milliner, and gloves and shoes and ribbons and 'flowers had merely by writing a note desiring them to bo sent in, and the pleasure never have could have seemed -so great as when every detail was planned and thought over and talked about. Why, by that means the party lasted for days instead of one evening ; and then it was delightful to hoar the little disputes amongst' the girls— not bs to whioh of them should have the'hestj-but as to which should take the worst. "I consider myself almost a married woman." Molly would say ; " and you know married people should -always dress more quietly than girls " «« The -very idem!" Sara -exclaimed. '*I wonder what somebody would say if ho ■walked in and saw you looking such a dowdy. It dees not matter in the least what wo wear, as we are not considered to be ' out,' but we must .put our best foot foremost for you." " I 'have got a whole sovereign godmamma gave HHvremember," criad Annie; "that is, I have-lent five shillings out- . *it to Jack, but with the rest .you must huy -fresh trimmings for year -dress, .'Molly. Wait till! am engaged! I shall'thendnsißt npon having the finest and newestof everything." They were all alike. There waß no need for the father to dread bills 'being presented to him unawares. 'When the girls kissed him in the mornings, 'he knew their loving greetings were never intended as prefaces to <- demand for money. Sometimes when he tried to press a gift npon them, Molly, as spokeswoman, would refuse 'it with a loving hug and tearful eyes. " We shall manage beautifully, papa," she Was wont to say; "and -you have quite enough to do without our troubling you more than we can help." Which, indeed, was only too • true. What with rent -and taxes, and butcher and grocer and baker, and lifo insurance, and Heaven only knows what beside, the kindly gentleman had -enough to do to make' both ends meet. He never could have succeeded had wife and ohildren and servants failed to second his endeavours.

As for Ellen, she would 'have done anything which lay in bar p"wer for any of them. In her own cottage •■'<•» had never felt more at home than she did in that roomy London house. The cook and the housemaid had been with tho Montrelle* for years — indeed, the housemaid had formerly beon nurse — and, seeing tbat the newcomer was -faithful and willing like themselves, they tried to make the place as pleasant to her. as possible. There was one thing they tried to laugh her out of, but tried without success.

At times she would sit either with empty handa or needle suspended in the air, looking intently at some object which certainly was not present to her bodily eye. "Ifit is your poor dear huaband, or your ohildren, or your mother you are -thinking abont, for mercy's sake say so," urged the oook ; " only don't stare straight before you at nothing."

" I am sure you are enough to turn a person's blood cold," supplemented nurse. "It would be better for you to talk out than keep your trouble to yourself. I have known sorrow too, and I am sure I feel for you."

Then Ellen would take up her stitching again, an i say, "I was not thinking about anybody belonging to me, but I am sorely puzzle-L" " What about ?"

" That I can't tell you ; indeed, I don't know m T «elf."

" Noii-ense ; if you are in any perplexity, why don ? t.you ipiak to master or missis ?"

"They cauldn'fc help me." "Then you must be a walking mystery."

Ellen had been in the e<n ioe of tbe Montrelle family about six months, when Arthur was taken very-i!' indeed. The doctors saved his life with soma difficulty, and then said he must be sent ont cf town immediately.

Now there was no one except Ellen who could conveniently go with him, and accordingly she went with tho child to Hastings. Aft jr her return in tl. <> l-xtter part of the autumn, both cook and . nusemaid noticed Mrs Calcey seemed strange- "ban ever. "Bhe mast hare murdered somebody," said the cook.

"Or been crossed in love," remarked the houiemaid, "Considering she is getting on for thirty, the is still very pretty/ Yes, Ellen was a very pretty woman, and her modest ways and soft voice proved wonderfully attractive to tho other sex ; but she had lived the love <-.f her life, and had no thought to spare for marrying or ffvfag In nucriage. "-Jen would rise from his grave if I ever*

imagined such a thing, miss," she said one dav to Molly Montrelle; and her young lady answered, " If you lovfld him as well as I do somebody, you could not imagine it, Ellen." The year WB9 drawing to a close, and the I Montrelles' mincemeat was made, the Christinas pudding talked of, the regulation tnrkey promised, when Mrs Calcey received a letter saying her youngest child was very ill indeed, and begging her to come to Dapplemead at once if she wished to sea him alive-. In a minute after -hearing the now 3 the Montrelles were assisting her departure. Mrs Montrelle produced a five-pound noto —and five-pound notes were not easily got or kept in tbe household. Molly asked, " You poor soul, could I be of any use if I wont down with you, or should I be only in the way ?" Jack ran out for a cab ; and while Sara put on their maid's bonnet, Annie stood with a warm thawl over her arm. '' He will get well when he sees you," said Arthur, Bobbing; and cook and ttouaeroaid both agreed " It ia no wonder she is not 1 like other people ; look what a handful of trouble ahe has to take hold of." When sho' reached Waterloo another surprise awaited her. The first person oho beheld getting out of a cab was Miss Molly's " young man." *'« Why, Ellen," he eaid, recognising her, " where in tho world are you off tb ?" and then, teeing her eyes were red and swelled with weeping, he went on, " I hopo nothir.-g has happened to any of your children." Showing, as Mrs Calcey remarked afterwards, that Miss Molly had talked about her and the children to him. While she told him -of her fresh anxiety he stood listening attentively, and when she had I quite finished, said, "Now, let me put yon into a compartment, and I will get your ticket, and you must try to think you will find your little child better whon you reach Dapplemead. She'did not notice till ho c.mo back with the ticket thai he had intended she should travel second class. ' When Bhe tried to remonstrate, he only said, "You will be < quieter hero;'" and turned the handle of the door and disappeared. I But when tho train reached the junction, why, before she could it open he had opendd it for her. "I do hope to hear, good news of your boy, Ellen," he Baid ; and then had to hurry away and take his Beat ir the main-lino train. To be continued.