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New Zealand Tablet, 10 March 1910, Page 365

with the green blinds where Evelyn had chosen to live chiefly that she might win Grandfather Hazelton’s heart into her keeping, ‘ _. Putting the place in order took two months. All Richard s spare time was given to the ransacking of the stores, and of certain other places, with Evelyn, for suitable furnishing for the new home. This differed greatly from the ordinary shopping of the newly-wedded, the fashion whereof shall be told later. On a bleak day in December the two, having begun shopkeeping, separated at the door of the house on Albemarie street -with a somewhat singular conversation. Evelyn was anxiously scanning the heavens, especially in the north-east. ‘Don’t you think it is sure to storm, Richard?’ she asked. , ‘ The papers certainly say so.’ . ‘ It surely will, dear. Look at that blackness in the east now. : ‘Oh, I hope so! If it will only be a real “nor’ easter,” one that will last a day or two —with his rheumatism ! But, Richard, it may begin before you get him here. Do hurry I ’ , Richard ran down the steps laughing, and waved his hat back at her from the bottom. ‘Here’s to our desperate schemes, little plotter,’ he cried softly. * May a great storm blow into Grandfather Hazelton a fervent appreciation of the cheer of our bright fireside. I’ll bring him back with me, Evelyn, if it can be done. Meanwhile, don’t let the duck burn.’ V He -hurried away, and presently Mr. Hazelton, sitting gloomily in his library nursing a left leg, which already felt , the oncoming storm, heard himself addressed by the familiar cheery voice. >, He had missed that voice, and he felt an ache which he would not own, but which hurt none the less for that. ‘Many happy returns, grandfather!’ cried Richard, and Richard s handsome face beamed at him from the doorway. ‘ Come in,’ said the Judge. He said it without much relaxation of countenance, to be sure, but with a milder reflection than he had employed toward his grandson of late. The young man came in gaily, bringing an atmosphere of fresh air and youth and health with him, as he had ever done. He sat down on the atm of a big chair opposite his grandfather. He had not removed his overcoat: his hat was in Ins hand. , H’ B a cold day,’ he said, ‘ but the air is fine, and a breath of it would do you good. Let me order the horses, will you, sir, and come over to Albemarle street with me? There s a little birthday dinner waiting for you there and our fireside needs your christening. There’s a magnifipent old fireplace in Aunt Martha’s house—remember it, sir —and the jolliest fire is roaring up the chimney this minute. Please, grandfather.’ The old man hesitated. Rejection was in his eye refusal on his lips, but it was a little difficult to grunt his customary curt ‘no ’ to an invitation like this, bubbling over with goodwill and heartiness. Meanwhile. Richard came lightly across the floor and dropped upon one knee before Mr. Richard Hazelton. He laid one warm hand on the Judge’s cold one, looking up laughingly, and sued for the favor, ‘Please, sir,’ he said, ‘it’s your birthday. You never denied me a favor on your birthday, grandfather.’ The Judge stirred uneasily, moistened his lips, got slowly and stiffly to his feet, and reached for his cane. '■ ‘ Well, well, boy,’ he said gruffly, ‘this once. But not again, mind you.’ Now, Grandfather Hazelton had not addressed one word to Richard’s wife since the • wedding day— and you will remember that he did not address her then. So it might easily have been an embarrassing moment all around when the Hazelton coachman drew up before Aunt Martha’s old house and Evelyn appeared at the top of the steps to greet the two coming up them by painful stages. ~ The black clouds in the north-east were gathering thickly, and the Judge’s rheumatism was growing very bad indeed. But Richard looked up confidently with a cheerful ‘ Here we are 1 ’ and the blithest voice in the world responded ‘l’m so glad! Come in out of this wretched cold to our splendid fire.’ And somehow there was no greeting necessary. Judge Hazelton did not offer to shake hands with young Mrs. Richard, but nobody appeared to notice that, and the two had him out of his overcoat and into a big easy chair in front of the fire before he had time to object or to know what he was about. They did not try to make him talk. , Richard was all about the room saying gay things, first from this corner, then from that. Evelyn flitted in and out, half-covered with a big white apron with a most fetching ruffled bib. Savory odors floated in each time she opened the diningroom door, and the Judge’s nostrils detected the delicious fragrance of —was it roast duck? . There was a suspicion of spiciness in the air, too, which might or might not mean mince pies. Mr. Hazelton especially liked mince pies. There were a few moments when Evelyn called Richard out to assist her with something. Then the Judge sat up straight in his chair, turned and glanced sharply about the room. His first impression, then, had been correct. Instead

of being furnished in the latest modern style, the long, W* ° nf ed l f P artin f. n b was a veritable reproduction of the be§t of old-time living rooms. nf Aj qua flowered paper covered the walls; fine pieces tfhle d +W h ? Sany ,1 0(d here and there J a slender-legged table that he could have sworn belonged to his mother was at his elbow. Bits of old china caught his eye upon the chimney-piece over it hung— yes, actually, a long disfur d dtys Ut undeniably fine portrait v of himself in his youthi- He heard them coming laughing backhand sank into his chair again, his lips setting tightly. His eves fixed ‘ rJZSfSI ° n the il r f’ . and Richard had to say We, Grandfather, our little dinner is served. . Will you come ' before the guest pulled himself together and, -f t ie necessaiy aid of his grandson’s arm, limped slowly Such a dinner! And such a table— for that was what first demanded the grudging attention of the guest. a Surely he recognised those thin whites plates and cups and saucers with the delicate green sprigs. Absently his finger touched one of the sprigs on his plate. As a boy at his mother s table he had always been impelled to feel them to see if they would push off. They would not push off any more readily now than they would then. He drew away his finger, and his eyes travelled to the walls of the room, and lie started slightly in his chair. t>- -i, D ? y( ?" recognize grandmother’s old sideboard?’ asked Richard, slicing off thin morsels of rich and tender duck with quite a skilful hand for one so new at carving and everybody knows that ducks are hard carving, too. ‘And this is her dinner set. Aunt Patience let us have all those things when she found that we really cared—that Evelyn cared. Me do care, sir, and Evelyn more than I. It's her idea. I suppose I should naturally have started in with a new house and new furniture. Varnish not dry you know patent oak tables and green marble centre tables; and cheap etchings on the walls ’ ‘ Richard ! ’ How pretty her face was, flushed »nd laughing in protest in the soft light from the candles I Richard gave her an answering glance, full of fun and mischief, but with his heart in it, none the less. ‘He loves the dear old things just as well as I io,’ Evelyn declared, pouring coffee and putting in a generous supply of rich cream. Then she held the old-fashioned sugar-tongs poised above the green and white sugar-bowl. She looked up full into Judge Hazelton’s face with a daring pair of violet eyes. How many lumps, grandfather she asked, and flushed a rosier red than ever. But her glance did not flinch. In the short pause that followed Richard dared not look up; he kept his eyes fixed on the centrepiece. But he listened with his heart in his mouth. Question and answer had not yet passed between these two. ‘Two,’ said Mr. Hazelton, and his black eyes went for an instant deep into the violet ones with a searching power which made his grandson feel as if he would like to jump between. But Evelyn met him with a frank smile, dropped in the two lumps, and gave him the cup. Richard drew a long breath. " The dinner was superb. Where it came from or who cooked it . Judge Hazelton did not know, but it suited his critical taste. It ended with an old-fashioned plum pudding. The guest swallowed the pudding to the last crumb. Richard smiled as he noted the fact. Jove, but the wind blows!’ said the young host, as they came back to the fire in the front room. ‘ Hear the windows rattle ? ’ He raised the curtain and looked out. ‘ It’s snowing furiously,’ he cried. And by all that’s great, grandfather, I believe I didn’t tell Michael to come for you.’ ‘Telephone,’ said the Judge. ‘ Why, we haven’t had one put in yet. Too bad ! Of course, I can go out and send word from somewhere. But suppose you don’t go out, grandfather? You know such a storm is pretty hard on your rheumatism.’ ‘ I must go home to-night,’ said the old man, as sternly as if much depended on his return. He got up and made his way to the front door and opened it. A tremendous blast threw the heavy oak door back upon him, knocked the spectacles from his nose, and cut through him with its penetrating chill. , He drew back, his heavy white hair erect and dancing in a most undignified way, and Richard, throwing his weight against the door, closed it. Evelyn picked up the spectacles. The guest limped back without a word. The two behind him glanced at one another triumphantly. ‘ Sing for us, dear.’ proposed Richard. ‘Perhaps the worst of the storm will be over presently.’ The girl went over to the piano. It was the only modern thing in the room. -She played softly, and sang in a clear, young contralto voice which had in it a quality of the sort that touches the heart strings. She sang modern songs at first, Greig and Nevin and Chaminade. But presently she gave them ‘ Annie-Laurie.’ • Then Mr. Hazelton got suddenly up. ‘lf I must stay,’ he said abruptly, ‘ I think I will go to bed.’ 1 ' Evelyn lit a candle, and Richard offered his arm again