The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 3, 18 January 1923, Page 3

The Storyteller

(By Mrs. J. Sadlier.)

Alice Hiordan

CHAPTER Xlll.—(Continued.) Just then Alice opened the door, and there was a smile on her face, for she had overheard her. uncle's speech. "Now, my dear uncle," said she, "Captain Reynolds is going, away, and he wants to bid you good-bye,, and to thank you for your civility to him."

“To thank me!” cried. Harry, turning short round; “what the mischief will he thank me for? If it hadn’t been for you I’d have given him cause to remember me. I would, by the ”

“•Don’t swear, uncle, don’t swear.”

“Mr. Malone,” said Reynolds, holding out his hand, which Harry seemed half v inclined to refuse, but he changed his mind, and took it; “Mr. Malone, what your niece says is quite true. Roughly as you did use me, I freely forgive you ; nay, I thank you sincerely, for you have given me a lessonhard it certainly was,” he added, with a smile — “a lesson which I shall never forget. At another time I would have resented such an insult to the very death; but your niece— God bless her! has succeeded in driving away the evil spirit which had possession of me. “Her purity of heart, and her ever active piety have elevated her sex in my esteem, and inspired me with , a love for that virtue which shines so brightly in her. . For the rest, Alice will answer for my good conduct; she will be my security for the time to come.”

“That I will, sir, .and 1 hope soon' to be able to give my friends here a good account of you.”

“Depend upon it, I will lose no time,” said Reynolds; “you have set me on a new trail, and I never pursue with moderation,. as you can bear witness.” He reached his hand to Alice, and this time hers was not withheld. “God bless you, Alice! God bless you!” he said, with deep feeling; “how well I loved you I need not, dare not say. My obligations to you are great, and ingratitude was never one of my vices. I . shall ever remember you —as one,” he quickly added, “too pure, too unselfish for this sinful, selfseeking world of ours. Alice, if I ever attain that happiness which shines like a meteor far away, I shall owe it to you. Farewell!” He then shook hands with Harry, who, though fairly puzzzled, could not avoid seeing and feeling that “all was right,” as he afterwards said. r So he submitted his sinewy digits to be pressed by the delicate hand of Reynolds, muttering something about riddles and bothering people’s. brains. v - v.-.j . •

“And now, Alice, I want to speak to your father.”

“Very well, sir, here he is. Father, dear, here’s Captain Reynolds; he’s going to Heave Montreal.” Cormac stood up and made a bow. He could not bring himself as yet to think well of the officer whom he had so 'lately regarded as the persecutor of his daughter, yet- he would see anything uncivil. ; :V f /J V . . • ■’V .

• “Mr. Riordan,” said Reynolds, with a smile, “you will not refuse to shake hands with me for the sake. of Ireland?”'- V.. { ■ ■

■ “No,'sir,” said the blind man, holding out his hand at the same time, “I wouldn’t refuse it when that’s the way you -ask it. .But, indeed; to tell, you the truth, it’s not more than ten minutes since I’d as soon shake hands with the Old Boy himself. I don’t understand the way that matters are goin’ but Alice seems to know it all an’ that’s enough for me.” - - ,

• “You are right,” exclaimed the captain, earnestly, as he warmly shook the offered hand. “You may safely rely on your daughter’s judgment; and I tell you, Mr. Riordan, you may well be proud of her: she does equal credit to those who brought her up and to the religion 'whose ordin-

ances she so sedulously follows. May she and you be as happy in time and in eternity as I wish you ; —once more, " farewell!” and he bowed, around 'to all. t . . ,

Alice followed him to the door, and so did her uncle;

the one to say; in a low, .earnest.tone:

“Make her as happy, as she deserves, and .above ' all

things, never let her know that you heard anything from - . _ _ . . ‘ ... *• • - me—you know what I mean?”

Uncle Harry caught hold of the captain’s hand, and gave it a loving squeeze, “Well, somehow I can’t help thinking that you’re not the man I took you for; bad manners to me, captain, but there’s something about you that my heart warms to, after all, now that you’re to leave Alice alone. I hope you owe me no ill-will about the trick I played on you? I couldn’t lielp doing it, sir, as matters stood, and I’d have done more, too, if you hadn’t turned out as you did. Might I make free to ask you to take a tumbler of- punch or a glass of wine on the head of the .quarrel we’ve had? —do now, Captain Reynolds!” J'\ “I am much obliged to you, Mr. Malone,” said the captain, endeavoring'to repress the smile which hovered on his lips. “Should I live to see you again, I may thankfully accept your kind invitation, but for the present you must excuse me. Good-morning!”

Harry attended him to the door, saying, “Well, I declare I’m almost sorry you’re going away; when do you think you’ll be back in this part of the world?”

“God alone knows that, perhaps never; but if I should you may depend upon receiving an early visit from me.” So away he went, leaving behind him a far different impression from that which the antecedents might have given room to expect. Harry stood a moment looking after him, and then bustled in again to talk over the matter with Alice.

Lizzie was at first inclined to think herself slighted, because^she had not been noticed but after a little quiet reasoning from Alice she got over that, and began to wotry with questions as to what had passed while she and the captain were in the parlor. When Ha/ry appeared, he took up the subject, and would have the secret. /

“And what do you say, father?” said Alice, taking hold of her father’s hand. “Don’t you want to hear the secret?” .

“Well, if you’re at liberty to tell it, Alice*dear, sure enough, I would like to hear it, for I can’t get at the bottom of the matter, do as I will.”

“This much I can tell you all, then,” said Alice, “Captain Reynolds is going to exchange into a regiment that’s stationed in Dublin, and he’ll be going away in a few days. That’s all I can tell yon now, but very soon I hope I’ll have leave to explain all to you.”

This did not at all satisfy Malone, and still less Lizzie, in whoso cranium the bump of inquisitiveness must have been largely developed. Both grumbled, and declared it “altogether too bad”; but Cormac cheerfully acquiesced, and pronounced it “all right.”

“Well, now that all is over,” said Alice, rising from her seat, “I think, father, we ought to be going. Indeed, indeed, Uncle Harry, you played us a pretty trick this morning. You see I’ve lost my whole forenoon, and must work hard, hard, the remainder of the day. I declare I think I must get some person in to help me, for I’ve a great deal more work than I can do.”

“Ay, but that isn’t telling us what we wanted to know, Alice,” said Mrs. Malone; “you’ve managed to keep the secret, after all.”

"Well, never mind, aunt," said Alice, laughing; "there's a good time coming; only wait a little, and as sure as you're there,' you'll hear the secret. Good-bye, now; I suppose we'll not see you again till Sunday?" When Cormac Riordan was comfortably seated in his arm-chair, Alice stirred up the fire, and put down the dinner to cook; then taking her work, she drew her seat over beside her father, and after a short silence, thus went on: ~;•.' ■ r -\ ■ ■ ■. .'■'., ■-.■..•' "Now, father, I know there's no danger in telling you anything that's to be kept secret, so I'm just going to give you a little knowledge. Do you remember me telling you once that Miss Cecilia had a notion of Captain Kevnolds?". • N "To be sure I do, Alice— mind it well.'' ,■-..'.-:\- " , "Well, I knew all along that the captain thought a good deal about Miss Finlay, for all he used to be teasing me so: of course, because he "thought I was poor , and had no friends, and that he. might just amuse himself at my expense. I often took notice that he used to be as jealous as could be when Miss Cecilia was talking or dancing with any other. . So I just took a, thought that I'd try a little plan of my own, and I told him how I knew that Miss

Cecilia liked him better than anyone else. Sure enough, father,, he. nearly jumped off . his feet, and he got as red as fire, and then he said: ‘Pshaw I Alice Riordan, you do but mock me!’ But when I went on and assured him that it was no mocking, only downright earnest, he began to believe it, and you never saw a man in your life was better pleased. x I told him- that only for the way ' matters stood I wouldn’t on any account give a hint of Miss Finlay’s secret, only that I knew it would be the means of bringing them together; ‘for*,’ said I, Captain Reynolds, I know your mind better than you think, and I’m sure you’d rather have Miss Finlay for a wife than any lady that you know'; with that he was for snatching my hand, and protested, that I was worth a dozen ladies; but, of course, I drew away my hand and told him very coolly,.' Keep your hands to yourself, sir, if you want to hear any more. I don’t wish to be compared with ladies, captain. I’m only a poor girl that has to work hard for my living.’ Then he begged my pardon, and told me just what he intended doing. He’s going to Ireland, ,as I told you all in Uncle Harry’s, and then he’ll find out Mr. Finlay’s family, and offer himself to Miss Cecilia. Isn’t that delightful, father,” continued the now animated girl; “and what do you think the captain said, if he succeeded, he’d get Miss Finlay to write to me herself and tell me all.”

t (To be continued.)