LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7176, 11 January 1892, Page 1

LITERATURE.

4» THE SPIBER AND THE FLY. The fir_t time they met he took her in to dinner. ; She knew nothing at all about him except hia name, Colonel Spinner, which her hostess had just mentioned bo her, and what she could ccc for herself Of the on ter man; even in ''that she was mistaken, for she guessed his age at five and thirty, whereas he was -quite ten yea_s bld£r. It Ib a man's own-troubles, and tbe troubles of those dear to him that brings age. Thiire waß only one person . dear <to Colonel Spinner— himself. As to Otis troubles, he had long 'since discovered the secret of lettiryj otherß carry there tor him, and, co far, hs had lived without beitfl* outwardly aware that the rest «f the world had any. So xt forty-five he-was as erect as at five and twenty, and -if his "figure was cot so slim now, it only lent mere dignity to 'his military bearing. His ' dark hair, and .he-heavy moaetachs hiding "the thin-lipped "mouth, had no streak of tcilver in it), and 'there was not a-fihadow of >« crow's foot-at'the corners of the 1 pale gray '•syes. But if efae "blow nothing aba-tit him, he *__new much abont her, and had watched hec ••rfrom afar*-'f«r the last •month. Colonel its. pinner had am extra sense — a sense which "fcrevealed to (form the presence of gold, and *~there wbb quite a halo of it round the .-. little woman. She wbb >a widow — and such a pretty * little widow. True, she would never see *' her thirtieth birthday again, but ahe had •• still to see her thirty-second, and a wotnsn - is the age she looks. Mrs Floyd's fig-are ~ waa girlishly slender; her complexion •& ■"-"-smooth pink and white — Nature's pink and white ; ber eyes were blue aa cornflowers, ■"and her -hair waa golden— such pretty, "Huffy, gelden hair. 'Traces of her mourning still lingered in the mauve gray <s£ her dress, bat there was not much to recall the widow's cap in the filmy piece ef tece which adorned, without covering the golden hair. She had, however, loved her husband in a quiet, gentle way- and mourned him in the same manner. Jamea Floyd, known in a certain good • London set as an irreclaimable bachelor and &o-?t vivant, was in his fiftieth year, when an unexpected 'legacy, including a pleasant conntry house in the Forest of Scan, had made him see the error of his ways, and 'he had marries! the daughter of the clergyman of the place. That he • -should marry nnder the circumstances surprised nobody, but certain fair acquaintances thought tbey oould have filled the position to greater advantage. (Perhaps .i Jame.- Floyd had known too much or too little of these fair friends. At any rate, he had chosen Lucy Paget, and made her a kind, good husband, being genuinely proud of her pretty face, and still'pronder, later on, of ■ their boy. 1 'He brought her to London every season, ' but - when his health gave way he was • ■ content to stay in the country, where they had lived entirely the last four, years of their married life. She had been a tender • and devoted companion, but Bhe '.naturally • missed the novel pleasures of -which he had given her the taste, and 'two years after his death, the longing fore London . reason had grown so strong within her, that abe had left her boy in her father's care, and come to town a month ago. ' The! Bimple soul of the little *vidow was :■ filled with wonder atthe universal kindness • <ehe met with ; so many people.ratnembered her whom Bhe was quite •■ashamed to have r forgotten, .or, if they had not-known her, had been, quite intimate with her lata ■ husband. She was never at a loss for a . companion of either eer, to accec_pany her •to concert, theatre, or at home ; ias a rule it was not necessary to ask anyone, people x were so kind that they went the length of < offering their company. - "Have yoa looked up all your old friends, < Mr_ Floyd?" asked the gaUant'.Uolonel by > way of a beginning. f I have .had no need,* sand the little > woman, with a smile— it came natural to ;, her to smile, and she allowed -such nice white, teeth that nobody could ojbject— ■-" they have looked me up. Everybody has > heen so kind to me." ■•"Kind to themselves, I ehould cay," re- ■ turned the .Colonel, with a double meaning • to the implied compliment -which laturally . .did not strike her. ' - She,__niled again, and this time blushed , ■ a little, as- she said peaaively, - " Dear .'James— my i. husband, I mean-*-h*d many > frieads.*" • ''iHe waa a, most popular -ran/'* promptly «Xjsplied the Coloael. 'fJDid yoa know him?" was *tbe eager question- ] The, gallant soldier paooedl; an almost imperceptible, paase, for his ananer ■■ was prepared. - As a matter of fact,ihe> had ne7£cmet "Dear lames" or evembeard of him, until within the last __-_nfchj-feut he -wan.oot going to tell her thai. ".My dear madam., of course il -did," he exolaimed, as one astonished at the question. - '! Did he never mentioa ne 1 ? :>No P That is curious- Certainly, we hadidcifted apart of, lata years-*-! waß not an England at the time a_ your marriage — bnttXhave nevea-ior gott-an him, fend have been looking forward, to the . pleasure of making vjour acquaintance eince. I heard yoa were . in town/'. -which i Cast remark was tbe (little leavea ,c! trpth intended to leaves, the Mat -of hiß-spoach. "lam to look* npon you as an oH friend, then P" ahe asked with a little laugh. iEe gave hen,a,quick. look, btct perceiving she meant uo.«_alice > h_ie hastened to reply, * r tl ..shall be .sincerely honoured," and then judiciously .dropped the subject. iHe manage^, iJjoweveCj before the end of . dinner, to ,Bay "very. many pretty things" to her deraefcy and indirectly, and Mrs , Floyd roca from tablo with the impression 'that she had .had a very pleasant com- , panion. Later, on, in ihe drawing-room, he agr.in founul .hiß way* to her side, and when ihe took his ieav^i, he.said with, ouch defer-, ence, " I hope .you. will permit me to con- ! tiftus our acquaintance.; may Ibe allowed i to call on yon-?" '_1 shall be pleased- to «_ee yon/ replied _she. "I am at .home .overy (-Thursday I bopo -yoa will find time to .come.Roon." He did find time soon— <very soon— for •the next Thursday saw him seated in the little drawing-room of the pretty fiat which $Irs. Floyd had hired for the season. The prevailing colours of ft he room were pink aad whito. The floor was covered with. Huffy white rugs ; softly-tinted pink _ace detains, 'looped with Bashes o. the same hue, hung .before the how window ; from tha suspended by pink ribbons, hoqg a white, heart-shaped .vase, filled with creeping pink geraniums j the shades on lamps and candles were shaped into pink rosea; wfcile on the broad windowsill was a rustic flower-box filled with creeping pink geraniums, tall ox-eyed margaevnites, and mignonette which scented -the room. From the delicate pink and white eggshell teacup in his hand and the dainty tea equipage close by, Colonel Spinner glanced round the room ; sniffed in the odour, and found that the atmosphere encircling the little .widow was good to hreathe ; bat it was not the perfume of the mignonette which found favour with him. He did not stay long that first visit— only the conventional quarter o£ an hour — but it was wonderful how agreeable he made himself in that short time, ffe divided his conversation impartially among the ladies present; was unobtrusively at hand to assist in t&o duties of the tea-table • and when he had set the ball of gossip fairly rolling, he managed to make his adieux QB&9F swer ot .the livei/ chatter, and t_

whisper, as he pressed his hostess's plump, white band, " May I come again for the sake 'of old times ?" A.-M. Bhe replied, "Oh, certainly; please do," and, between Bmiling and blushing* forgot that there never had been any old t___.es. After that he came often, very oft-en, •every Thursday afternoon ; and presently, 'when he "did not <come on Thursday, he <camo on Friday to say why he had not come the day before, He change*, her books for her at the libraiy— he kisew so well the latest thing to read ; he did commissions for her— which a man could do so much better than a womaa alone ra town * he brought her occaßionaltooxeß fe? theatre or opera, and what more natural (man that he should look in at the performance himself? Concert tickets, also— he had so many senMo him. Society trradually became accustomed to see the little fair womaa shadowed by the tall, dark man, but oo comments were made. Society will pass over much'unBoticed, if one only knows how to set about it, and Colonel Spinner had much •experience. A man of his years could -curely befriend a woman, c mere child in -worldly knowledge, without exciting uncharitable remark; and bring 'flowers, bon-hons and opera-boxes to the.?young widow of his dear old friend*— for it had come to that now* What if her heart had learned to beat at his approach*? Who could know of it? What if the pink in her cheeks would pemetimea deepen ? Nature's pink cannot always be under control. What if the blue eyes would 'brighten and grow more like cornflowers than ever ? It was natural that she should be glad to ccc her husband's old friend. If she knew of half-veiled, lover-like speeches, of devoted glances, and tender pressures of the hand— well, nobody else did, and in that lay all the difference. (To be continued.)