MECHTILDE HARLATH. chapter I.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 23, 8 June 1899, Page 23

MECHTILDE HARLATH. chapter I.

Loitn Ham, un wa-- pa^t fifty, nnd neither yioil-lnolam; i or n^rco.iblu.wheu ho wooed and von bin first v ih\ ilio (ir.Uiu Muhi-ilvlo L \ 1. 1 .-«ljt iy , uii'mc lii vim oi iii_i lic-i .-cM--uii . ami uu; worla pro(li red trouble— w .eh a <•< l-c.u.i melancholy ]»lo.i»ur. — ulien the eiHiiticu-yctii-i/i i utik 1 :ui<l jilc can.ainveroui ckiciiv Oruic^ruom bhould b.t up liciih tojit t lie r.

The only one (it- .ill I^otel IT.alathr, act-ujinLMiA-who \uMii tho k>a.-t ho,(lul abi.it the 1 1 - ult ot the strange niiitch v is the lady s stopbrf.th- r, and hi- Lot 1-lnp'- almo-t uoiiiue fiiend, Sir William Dwii-ni. v ho. kmw n,' the unpopular nutili vi ii bet.er than sun body (!-(. h "i ilisioseml that there did exi-L a gentle conn r 111 In- h^irt, v!inli the 1 i\ cine— and -wcet natuie of the (•erinan giil. the- I'auuhter of 'Uibu'ai's decea-ci -t.pmofhe-. appeared to ba\e tc;i"ii d. Vi t me b irom t - di-cernment seemed at l<mlt. vvheii. lintni.intiiy ,1 trr the weldi'isr, Lord llarhuh carried ofl" h;- bine to Kihvo't C.'-.'le, hi- Irish s>-at, 11 place beautiful ii it-elf, but -uuat' 1' I ".c back of Cod--peed.' and there without any -oet -ty -aye h»r Lu-band's and that of Mi-. Talbot. the housekeeper C.\vhi, however, was uf gentle birth, anel distantly related to the family) Lady Harlath pa--cd the only year of her married life, and there she died, the da) her first child came into the world.

After the funeral Lord Ilarlath departed from Kilmore. leaving his new-born daughter in Mr-. TalbotS charge. und( r who-e devoted care she urevv up and flourished, being a ru-y cnild of seven when his Lordship took for hi- second wife Lady .'acobina MacPhearson. and Mrs. Talbot received orders to brm^; It to Harlath Park. 111 Surrey. 15ut it chanced — or rather happened by Gods will — that little Mechtilde fell -iek of scarlatina on the eve ot her departure from Kilmore. ami, when quite recovered, appeared to have been forgotten m her fatlu r s anxiety at the hope ot an heir, and afterward- in In- delight upon it- birth (though the title was one 1 which could ele^ci nd in the feinaL- line).

This poor baby wa- also left mothcrle-s at an early age — for the seconel Lady lLirlith di< d ot consumption before ir wa- two yearold, and her widower, liming arranged that its maternal grandparents should bring the boy up, -ct off on his travel- thioiifh Eastern Asia — a long and we'iiri-ouie account of which lie wiotc on his return, and was so taken up with thi- book that V' ha*! no leisure to remember how old his daughter wa-> gettnu. or in t Link about her at all. until Sir \\ llli nil Durr mt rcnion-tr^Leii v\ it h h.in for neglecting the gnl - education, and in-isted upon th' 1 ( ngagoment of a governess lor hei. uudeitakinu himself to find one and the baronet was certainly fortunate in the choice of a per-011 who was not only ac omph-h' d. but expenencul in the t;, lining of young ladio- ot high jiosition.

What Mi-s .'-v. aiiton ihou_''.tof her new place aril ' lpil may be gathered lrom the following miact taken ti an < >c ot her letters to her -1 Ur (uoverne— to t..e elau^htcrs of rrimv— L von I), b )

'The ea-tie >s pieturo-<yie. uid - Mi-itul at the base ol a lnatheicoveredhill faring llk- -eu. \ii-. '\ alb.it. the 1 uly 111 Lii.ugi- of tl'c estabhslniKiit. is a cultn a.eel 111 111 1 on— but lim' \ body el- • 'ieie. ot the Koun-h faith iit.t e\' pum I\e 11 the hi llc _'i:l — tl ough all the other im niber^ ( 1 t''i\; ILulatn 1..111113 rjeJ>> !g in Ihe i huich of England. Ie 11 en!} e.u"e.lud ■ t!.ac the tir-t Lni^ lt.u jatn v.is a Catholic.

' Meehfldi l- ■> . iy b i'_k\\ a' 1 1 foz foun >r>n. bal po--' -<.- a. lmi,hl deal ot £< ii( i\il l ii lot ni.r 1 1 ,i ai a •■>..■(. !:i,e>\\ le-l^o ot liui-.e; i c qiuud from Mr-. Talliot. Miv \ii) tall .v. 1 pr^tt^.hii I, .ad b.ing si exqui-itely small one woi.ehrs >i«av ie can In ,»r tie weight ol two immense phut- of vold-liio\, n bur. v ruc'*i ruiiii to her knee-. f have novel Iki'iic -< >i -■ ili li.ur llei e\e-Meal ■) p> aliar — ol a yellowish colour with li,e ie pupil-. M,e is quiei , un< o.nniunie itive. and ehiliii-h. ail hcr.'ctujn 0.1114 l.ill niiced n) a -imple j>l<_ t y — which is c dil^n.g — jiutw ith-t ih<liu o ui^ dilierei.e_' 111 her 'laith and mine '

Afterward- Mi-- Swanton di- c\of<d Iliat Meehtilde'- mother had been b rough., up a Luthei in but ( \en when pntty -ure Lord Harlath w;>..s ignorant oi the fact tint in- dau_;hur was a Catholic, she did not write i l.Kr to him or to Mr William Diur.uit ;ib >ut it. having a theory that a loiced ehanue ot religion ah\a\- eau-eii spiritual misery and generally ended in ... dc-p.ur which bl ghtcd all spiritual belief.