LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5081, 15 August 1884, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE CAPTAIN'S UMBEELLA. (The World.) Captain Fortescue danced for the "best part of one happy evening with the prettiest girl of the season. And the gallant Captain, fell desperately in love with her. He went home in the bright mistiness of an early summer morning in a high fever of excitement, for he believed that Miss Bracegirdle viewed him with considerable favour. The next afternoon he went to call on. her. She seemed to him even more beautiful in the daylight, and in a simple dreßS ; he became momently more and more in love. And now he fancied that not only Miss Bracegirdle, but her mother, regarded him with kindly eyes. In that case, he had but to go in and win. He resolved bo to do, and left the house so full of his passion and his thoughts that he forgot — his umbrella! This was no unusual circumstance. Captain Fortescue was given to forgetting hie uinbella, and leaving it in a hansom cab or any other convenient place. Thus it happened that thiß which he had now left was the only one he possessed. The next day he knew Miss Bracegirdle was going to an afternoon fete at the Botanical Gardens. He intended to meet her there. But it was showery, thunderous weather, and he felt that to visit the Botanical Gardens without an umbrella would be dangerous and difficult. Besides, an umbrella is often admirably uaef ul during the progress of a love affair. He had learned, by accident, that the Bracegirdles were going out shopping in the morning. He determined, therefore, to call and ask the housemaid to give him his umbrella. This seemed exceedingly simple; but luck was against Captain. Fortescue. The maid who had admitted him on the day before had this very morning departed in a four-wheeled cab, with two boxes on the top of it, her "month" being " up." A new maid had taken her place — one of a less smiling disposition than the last. " I called here yesterday afternoon/* said the Captain, "and left my umbrella; will you let me have it ?" Something in the sternness of the eyes which were upon him made him falter before he had said the last word of his request ; it suddenly occurred to him that he might find it a little difficult to prove that the umbrella in question was indeed his own. " No, thank you," said the maid ; " I've had enough of that at my hist place. I'm not going to get into trouble here. Bettertake to an honest trade, young man." With which piece of advice she shut the door in Captain Fortescue's face, leaving that officer astonished, quenched, and crestfallen. He went straightway and bought a new umbrella. Armed with this, and admirably attired in other respects, he went to the Botanical Gardens, where he met Miss Bracegirdle, who seemed more beautiful, more charming, and more gracious than ever. As soon as seemed at all decent, he called again, feeling very contented with himself and his fate. But when he asked whether Mrs Bracegirdle was at homeland the Btern maid eyed him for a silent awful instant, his spirits fell strangely. " Sho is not," said the maid, and shut the door with an abruptness that gavehim a singularly disconsolate feeling. "When, about an hour later, the ladies came in, and the maid brought them sometea, she eaid to Mrs Bracegirdle, "If you pleaso, ma'am, that young man has been here agnin who some one day with the umbrella dodgi. He asked if you were at horne — of course he knew you were not —and I suppose he had some plan for getting into the house ; but I shut the door in his face and would not listen." " That's right, Eliza," said Mrs Bracegirdle. "Never give them a chance to get inside tha hall. There's- been too much of that stealing of coats and umbrellas in this neighbourhood j it never would happen with a sensible housemaid. Master Harry loaves his things hanging in the hall, so that it would be quite easy to carry off a j coat or umbrella, it' you loft the man there I alone only for a minute. If he is so ivnpu>

dent as to come again, the moment you see who it is, shut the door. The next afternoon was Mrs Bracegirdle's day "at home." Captain Eortescne had not intended to go then ; he wanted the lovely Miss Bracegirdle to himself, not surrounded by a crowd of admirers. But as he had not been able to see her the .day before, he determined to bravo the crowd, and be content if he got but one smile all his own. And so he presented himself once more at Mrs Bracegirdle's door, this time knowing her to be within. But when it was opened, and he confidently framed the phrase, not as a query, but an assertion, " Mrs Bracegirdle at home ?" and proposed immediately to enter, the maid said shortly, " No, she is not," and quickly shut the door upon him. No words can describe lii=t feelings. He stared blankly at the hand ome door, well Bhut and firm, that suddenly had closed npon him and separated him from his love. What could this awful thing mean ? Had Mrs Bracegirdle heard something — false, course, and uttered by some other base admirer of her daughter — which had made her take this cruel step ? It was impossible to guess. It was impossible to knock again and ask ; it was ridiculous to stand staring at the door. He turned, descended the steps, and walked down the street. Before he had gone half-way he met a hated rival, a very nice fellow, whom he had only began to hate in the last three or four days, since he had noticed that Miss Bracegirdle sometimes gave him very charming and encouraging glances. Captain Fortescue walked on slowly, and listened for the confident rat-a-tat-tat of his rival. He heard it, lingered, and looked back. The door was opened, and the visitor instantly admitted. The unhappy man who had been turned away from that same entrance sighed heavily, and went away down the sunny street, hanging his head. He told himself that it would be only a fool, or a madman, who could pretend to misunderstand so plain a refusal as this. Perhaps it was meant kindly, he thought; and groaned at the thought. Miss Bracegirdle was no coquette, and did not care to have men offer her their love when she had no intention of accepting it. He was so desperately enamoured of her that he busied himself in trying to see this cruel cut as a kind deed. "Hia hopes were gone ; but he could not bear so suddenly to lose his idol. He determined he would not worry her by his unwelcome presence where she could not easily 1 avoid him, nor permit himself to be laughed at by his successful rival. So he excused himself from certain engagements at houses where he knew he should meet her. He gave up dancing, and took to cards instead. "Mamma," said Miss Bracegirdle one day, " doesn't it seem odd that for three weeks Captain Fortescue has not called ?" " It does," said Mrs Bracegirdle ; " and yet, when I come to think of it, we have not met him out anywhere, either. He must be ill, or more likely he has gone out of town. He will call when he comes Back." This she said, noting that her daughter looked a little pale and out of sorts, But, secretly, she was uneasy herself. Captain Fortescue had shown signs of being so hot a wooer that it seemed very improbable he ■would leave town without a word to them. At the next opportunity, she quietly made some inquiries about him, and learned that Captain Fortescue was neither ill nor out of town. This was bad news indeed ; for Mrs Bracegirdle knew perfectly well that ler daughter's heart was seriously touched ; and, as Captain Fortescue was perfectly " eligible," all had promised fairly. Now that fair promise was destroyed. There ■was nothing to be done, except try, by other distractions, to erase the impression which Captain Fortescue had made. Mrs Bracegirdle devoted herself to her daughter more tenderly than ever; and the girl understood her. Amid all the gaiety and the many engagements which came with every day, there was a melancholy about the house •which had never been there before. It was impossible for them to banish it altogether. Even Master Harry, a cheerful youth of about fourteen, became aware of it at hut, and declared his sister was not " half aB jolly as she used to be." One day, when his mother and sister were taking a quiet half-hour before dressing for dinner, he came into the room, carrying an umbrella. " I say, mother, this umtrella's been in , the stand for a month. The fellow it belonged to has forgotten all about it, I expect ; don't you think I might have it?" " Isn't it yours ?" said Mrs Bracegirdle. " I gave you a silver-handled one, last year" " O, I lost that long ago," replied the youth coolly ; " and I may as well have this instead. It's like mine, but ever so much sweller. There's a name engraved en it ; but I could have that scratched out." " Let me see the name," said Mrs Bracegirdle. She took it, and read " Fortescue." An odd look came over her face. She said nothing for a moment, but seemed plunged in thought ; then she rose, and went downstairs to the dining-room. She rang the bell, and the stern-eyed maid appeared. " Eliza," she said, " can you remember the appearance of that young man who came one day and asked for an umbrella P He came twice, I think you said, and asked for me the second time. Will you describe him, if you can ? " "He was quite a gentleman to look at, ma'am," said Eliza ; " but this sort mostly are. Tall, and broad-shouldered, and military-looking, with blue eyes, very short fair hair, and a long, heavy, fair moustache." "That will do, Eliza," said Mrs Bracegirdle ; " you can go." As soon as Eliza had left the room, Mrs Bracegirdle sat down and wrote a note. Then she tore it up and wrote another, which was merely an informal invitation to lunch the next day. Then she called Harry down to her. " Harry," she said, " I want you to go to Captain Fortescue's rooms and take this note and the umbrella. See him if you possibly can, and try to explain about this unhappy umbrella and that wretched stupid Eliza." Then she told Master Harry the 3tory, at which he laughed immensely. '• Now, you must not laugh, but think how you can do the thing nicely, Harry. You can manage it admirably, if you choose. -It is too absurd to put on paper. And make Captain Fortescue promise to come to lunch, just to show he bears no malice." Harry put on his best manners, and accomplished his task well, though he felt much aggrieved at having to give up the umbrella. Captain Fortescue came to lunch; and this time Eliza admitted him, and blushed as she did so.