LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4818, 5 December 1893, Page 1

LITERATURE.

ALL ALONG 'THE RIVES, [bt miss m. c. beaddon.] Author of "Lady Audley's Secret," " Aurora Fiojd," " The Cloven Foot.' ' -" Dead Men'B Shoes," &c, &c. (Copyrighted.) Chapter IV.-— (Continue!) leola fell asleep by the fire, comforted fcythe warmth, worn out by nights that Lad been made sleepless by vague agitations — by the living over agaia of accidental medticga, and friendly conversations — not by fear or remorse— for it was ODly this day that the danger of that' growing friendship had been revealed to her. It was only to-day that she knew what such friendships 'mean. She slept a feveiish sleep, from sheer exhaustion, and dreamt fever dreamß. ■' ■ . "> Those willows on the bank had recalled Goethe's Erl'-'Konig--the ballad she had learnt by rote ■in her earliest German studies— and -the willows and the ballad were interwoven with her dreams. It w&3 Martin Disney who wa3 riding his charger along a dark road, and she was sitting in front of his saddle, clinging to him, hiding her face upon bis breast, and the willows were beckoning— she knew those gaunt arms were beckoning to her, although her eyea were hidden — and he was following. He was thundering behind them on a bl>ick horse. Yes, and then the dream changed— the dreamer's wandering thoughts directed by another reminiscence of these girlish Btndies in GermF.n r> etry. She was Leuore, and she was ia t ! o urms of her d«ai lover: She felt that bony arm— Death's arm — clutching htr round the waist, her streaming hair mingled with the streaming mane of that unearthly horse.; She was with Loatwithiel— in his arms— and they were both dead and both happy — happy in bfing together. What did they want more than that ? " Vollbraeht, vollbraehfc, ist unser pauf ! Das Hochzeitbette that sich aUf ! Die Todlen rieiten sclmelle ! Wir sind, wir sind, but Stelle." She woke with the chill of the charnel house freezing her blood. The fire had gone out. Titi had curled himaelf at her feet ia the folds of her gown. The Persian was staring discontentedly at the ashesin the grate, and Tabitba's sturdy footsteps might be heard in the room above, bus ling to and fio, and anon poking the fire and putting on coal?, making all things ready for her mistrets* toilet. Isdarang, and Susan, the parlourmaid broughtin the lamp. "I came twice before, ma'am ; bufc you were fast aeleep, bo I took the lamp back to the pantry." - ■ Isola looked at the clock. Ten minuteß to nine and she was to meet Mrs Baynham in the cloak room at half-past ten. Ten o'clock was the hour on the card, and the fat-faced nieces were feverishly afraid that all the eligible partners would be snapped up by these wise virgins who. appeared earliest; on the scene. " You won't keep ub waiting ia the cloakroom, will yon, dear Mis Disney?" they pleaded, coaxiogly. Wa3 she to put on her finery and go ? There would be time yet to sand a note to Mrs Faynham, excusing herself on the score of illness. The doctor's party would not s'a-t before half-past nine. What was sbe to do? Oh, she wanted to see liim once more— just once more— in the brightly lighted rooms, amidet a crowd — in a p ase where he would have no cbance of repeating those wicked, wicked words — of forgetting all that was due to his own honour and to hers. In the crowded ballroom there would be sifety— tafety even from evil thoughts. Who could think of anything with dance music sounding in their ears, amidst the dazzle of lamps and the flashing of jewels ? She wanted to go to the ball, to w t ar her eatin gown, to steep herself in light and mußic; and thus to escape from t ha dim iorror of that awful <3ivam. Tabitha seemed like a goo 3 angel when Bhe came in at this juncture with a fresh cup of tea and a plata of dainty little chicken sandwiches. "Come now, ma'am, I shan't let you go to the ball if you don't take these. What, not a bit of fire— and you asleep here in the cold ? What was that addle-pated Susan thinking about, I wonder ? I'll take the ti ay upstairs. There's a lovely fire in your room, and everything ready for you to dress. I want to be able to tell Mr Martin that h ; s young wife vas the belle of the ball." Isola allowed hersalf to be led upstairs to the bright,, cheerful bedroom, with its pretty chintz-pa'tern paper, and photographs, and artistic muslin curtains, and glowing fire, and toilet table, with i's glitter of crystal and silver in the pleasant candlelight. She Buffered hereelf to ba fed and dreesad by Tabitha's skilful hands, almost as if ehe had been a child ; and she came out of her dismal dream into the glad waking world, a radiant figure, with violet eyes and alabaster complexion lighted up by the loveliest hectic. The simplymade, close-fitting bodice, with folded crape veiling the delicate bust, and the pure, pearly tint of the satin, set off her fragile beauty, while the long train and massive folds of the rich fabric gave statuesque grace to her tall, slim figure ; but the crowning glory of her toilette was the Rail and of whits chrysanthemums, for which Tabitha had ransaoked all the neighbouring greenhouses; a garland of flnffy, feathery petals, which reached in a -diagonal line from her shoulder to the hem of her gown. It was her only ornament, for by some strange caprice she refusad to wear the modest pearl necklace and diamond cross which bad been her hu stand's -wedding gift. "Not to-night, Tabbie," she «aid, .and Tabitha saw in th : s refusal only the coquetry of a lovely woman, who wanted to the great ladirs and squires' wiv«s how poor and common diamonds ara by the side of youth and beauty. " Well; you don't want any jewels, certainly," said Tabitha. "You look aa if jou were going to be married— all bufc the veil. Thoae chrysanthemums are ever so much prettier than orange blossoms. There's the fly. Let me put on your -cloak. It's a beautiful night, and almost as mild a3 May. Everybody will be at the ball. Third's nothing to keep folks away. Well, I do wish the Major was here to go with you. Wouldn't he be proud ?" The .s'ars were shining when Isola went afong the gravel path to the gate whera Masters' fly was waiting with blazing lamps which seemed to out-dazzle those luminous worlds above. Ihcra was no carriage drive to the hall door of th.9 Angler's Nest. The housa retained all its ancient simplicity, and ignored the necessities of carriage people. Tabitha wrapped her mfs'r^Bs's fur-lined cloak clcse round her befora she stepped into the fly, which was provided with those elaborate s'eps that seem peculiar to the hired brougham in r&raV neighbourhoods. " Good night, Tabitha, and tbank you /or all the pains you've taken ia dressing me— and for the lovely wreath. I .«Vall come home early. I .shan't wait for Mrs Bajnbam's party." "Don'fc you hurry," said Tabitha, tie^riily. "The Hunt Ball only comes once a year, and you'd better make the mosfc of it. I sHa'fc mind sitting up j and perhaps I sban'fc ba half so dull aa you think for." The flyman shut the door, which nobody but bimgelf could gout — another peculiarity ot rustia brougham*. The fly yaris'isd

| in the (Jarknes*, an<l Tabitba Tan back to » the hotfS3. where she found Susan wa'ting a"i tha Va'l door in her jaaket and bat, a? luarSt production of Mis Disney's jacket and lat as local circumstances— or the cifftreace between Bond Street and LestI withiel — would allow. "Have you locked a^d bolted the back •doors ?" aib&i Tabitba, " but, lor', I'll go •and look myself; I won't trust to your gUdy youag brains. Mr Tinkerly will'be here with the carli directly. I've only got to put on my bonnet and dolman, after I've taken a look round, and put away Mra D'&ney's jewel-box." Tabitha wa3 no light-minded housekeeper, bufc ehe had h?r hours of frivolity, and she loved pleasure witli the innocence of a most transparent soul. Tinkerly, the butcher, had offerad to drive the two ladies, i.e., Tabitha and Susan, into Loatwithiel in hia tax cart, and, furthermore to place tham wh?re they would see something of the t aU, or at least of the company arriving and departing, and beyond all this to give them a snack of supper, "Just something to bite at and a gJais of beer," he told Tabitha/ depieeatingly, lest; 'he should ra"sa hopes beyond his power of realisation. He meant to do the thing ai handsomely a3 circumstances would permit, certainly to the extent of cold boiled beef and pickles, with Guinnesj or Bass. Ke wa3 a family man, of irreproavhable respectability, and hiß meab wa3 supposed to be unmatchable for thirty miles round. He traw it himself upon those picturesque pastur. s which sloped skyward, dipping towards the blue of " the river, rising towards the blue of the sky. No precaution of lock, bolt, or bar did Tabitha neglect befora she put on her, best bonnet and dignified black cloth dolman, heavy with imitation as ra-.-han. She and Susan were s l anding at the gate when Tinkerly drove up with h's skittish mare and spring cart, a cart so elastio that it threatened to heel over altogether wh9n Tabitha clambered into the place of honour. Mr Tink.erly's foreman was sitting behind to take c<re of Susan, and the foreman wai unmarried, and of a greasy black-ha : red comeliness, and there was none happier than Susan under thesa wintry s'.ars — not even the gn at ladies ia their glistening diatnouds. " What are diamonds ? " said Susan, philosophically, with the foreman's arm sris'aining h°r at a sharp tura in the road, "if you don't cara for each other ?" (To be continued.)