LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 29, 3 July 1874, Page 4

LITERATURE.

GEORGE LOVELACE’S TEMPTATION. A Tale in Four Chapters. Concluded. ‘Well, it’s rather a long story ; but about four months ago, just as he was doing well in the county, improving his property, building schools, and working like a slave at all that was commendable, one unlucky day, when poking about among some old papers, he found his father’s will ; you remember be had a row with the old man about his marriage. Well, in this will the d —d old curmudgeon, after abusing his son like the devil, left ail the property except a thousand pounds, to a natural daughter. Lovelace was all alone when he found the will, and told me afterwards that for about five minutes he was as nearly committing a felony as a man possibly could be.’ < I really think under the circumstances he would have been justified.’ 1 So did not he, and, instead of burning the will as he might, and no one would ever have found him out, he sent it to his lawyer; the whole thing was all right, and he had to give up the property, the value of which had increased even in the short time he had it. Well, would you believe it, the girl to whom it was left—a misguided little wretch, whose life Lovelace’s wife had saved, and who had behaved abominably afterwards, and married some low attorney—actually sued him for the back rents, not I believe do son chef, but by the advice of her rascally husband, and ousted the poor follow out of even the trifle which his father had left him. Poor Lovcacc! He had had some experience of poverty during his father’s life, but this second blow was too much for him. It fairly broke his heart. I used to go down and see him sometimes. And there was he, the rightful owner of a large estate, and a man who had done all the good in his power, living in a filthy little room in Covcut Garden. You did not know him as well as I did when he was at Blackwood ; but I assure you he was the best fellow in the world, there was nothing he would not do for you, and he was always ready to be of service to any one ; I do not think I ever knew such a good-natured man. Well, of course I offered him help ; but he would not take it. He sternly refused all assistance, and seemed quite broken ; he would only groan out a’wish to be left alone. This was his continual request, “Leave me alone,” His wife, of whom he was very fond, was the only one who had any influence with him ; and she, poor thing, did all she could to keep him up, and was glad to take whatever I sent her ; but she was weak and ill, and, moreover, had her child to look after as well as her husband. This morning I got a letter from her, written so that I could scarcely read it, imploring me to come and see them ; so I went of course, and found him lying in his wretched room, in which yon could scarcely turn round, with no one but his wife and an old - housekeeper ; the latter was doing her best for them, but was not of much use, though I believe she meant to be, poor soul. Lovelace was sinking fast when I came, and I sent in a hurry for Gull. He came, but it was' of rio use. There was no strength, and poor George—he was such a good fellow, Henry—died in my arms about two hours after I had arrived. His poor little wife—you never saw such a scene. I did all 1 could to quiet her, but it had no effect. I got Gull to send for bis man, and made him promise to stay in the house all night ; but they seem to think she won’t live. Thank God, I can adopt the child—that’s some consolation. No, thank ye ; 1 don’t think I can play ccarte to-night.’

ME AND MY DOGS, [From “ Once a Week.”] SPOT. ‘ Ts your master at home ? ’ ‘ No, sir ; please, he’s gone down the town.’ No sooner were the words uttered than a shaggy setter, that had been quietly giving me a wag of recognition, bounded by me, dashed down the gravel path, out of the gate, and then along the road towards the town as hard as be could bound. ‘ There, sir—now who’d ha’ thought o’ that, him going off in that way, when master’s gone sick visiting and didn’t want the dog wi’ him ? He knows as well as could be what it meant when I said down town ; and now he’ll find master out, and he’ll be so cross, master will, when he gets back.’ ‘ Didn’t he know that the vicar was out? ’ I said. ‘ Bless you, no, sir ! ’ said the girl. ‘ When master don’t want Spot along wi’ him he slips off : and then, as soon as the dog has hunted about from room to room and can’t find him, he begins to whine and chunther about, and would run off to look for him, only we kept one o’ master’s old hats on purpose, and bring it out and show it him, when ho thinks master ain’t gone out, and goes and lies down by the fire. We did so this morning, and he was as good as could be until you came, sir, and he heard me say down town, when you saw how he shot off ; and I couldn’t help it, sir—now could I, sir?’ As a matter of course, I sided with the vicar’s maid, Jane ; and then, following the example of the dog, I retraced my steps towards the town, and in ten minutes had forgotten all about vicar, dog, maid, and her account of Spot’s instinct ; but I was roused to a recollection of what I had heard by the dog himself, who came full rush out of the surgeon’s garden, and darted off towards a private residence a little back from the road, on the other side. Here, however, he was also unsuccessful in finding the object of his quest, and, amused by his eagerness, I watched the dog go from garden to garden, and from house to house, in search of his master, but still without success. Now he looked up the street and now down ; he peered into every shop that his master frequented ; and every now and then, as if some sudden thought had seized him, he would bound off in a fresh direction. Perseverance seldom goes unrewarded. After a good half-hour’s search. Spot must have found out where his master sojourned, for I saw him sitting quietly outside Widow Whitman’s door —a sure index that the vicar was within. There was a certain pleasure, no doubt, attached to the pu; session of so intelligent an animal ns Spot. Out it must have been unpleasant at tinu s lo have so shadow-liko a companion, without tin; shadow s oonvevience, for, as 1 afterwards learned from the yicar himself, it was a work of difficulty to

get away without Spot, and he corroborated in every particular the maid’s statements. But he was a capitally behaved dog was Spot, and he bore the best of characters in the village from everybody but such ladies as kept cats. It would be a hard task, no doubt, to find out the origin of the enmity between the canine and feline races; for though we may sec instances in domestic life of its being overcome, yet there is the inborn dislike, and it was strongly developed in Spot, though to the vicarage cat ho was amiability itself. Doubtless he had other weak points ; but the special failing of Spot was cats, and the appearance of a furry tabby, sandy or black, set the dog off full race to chase the clawing animal on to some wall or up the bole of a tree, where he would lie down panting, his red tongue lolling ont of his mouth, but with a graceful curl up at the end, and watch his enemy for hours. But all cats were not afraid of him, and before now I have known a fierce Tom turn at bay, swelling his tail out into the likeuness of a 'bottle-brush, arching his back till all four legs were close together, and then, spitting and swearing, glowering with distended eyes and bristling with fierceness, as he offered battle in a way which Spot invariably refused ; while more than once he had been known to retire with nose bleeding from the effects of a rapid ‘one, two,’delivered like lightning upon either side, and in painful proximity to Spot’s eyes. Upon such occasions Spot would stand still for a moment, looking hard at his enemy, and then beat a retreat, with head turned over shoulder ; but if, ceasing his warlike, defensive attitude, Tom recommenced flight, Spot was after him directly, following up his attack until the cat was in safety. He has been known to slay cats ; but as a rule such matters were hushed up, and the vicar tried hard to break him of his propensity, but in vain. It was rather a scandalous matter that at such an abode of peace and goodwill as the vicarage, a killer of cats should be harboured, but so it was ; and more than one lady who had been outraged in her feelings by the loss of cats or kittens informed me that her conscience would not allow her to go to church in consequence, and that she considered herself to have been regularly driven to chapel by that dog. The vicar always said that he did not believe it, for there must have been a previous lurking after the meeting-house, and that the dog had been seized upon as an excuse. 111-natured people talked largely at the inoffensive old gentleman, because he did not have the dog shot; but the vicar said he would not have him shot if he killed every cat in Bubbiey, for they were always scratching in his flower beds and destroying his choicest seeds. And, besides, he said that he believed it to be all his own doing, through once setting Spot after a black and white vixen that he had found in the greenhouse, and who demolished half a dozen pots of geraniums before she was driven out, 1 lie never used to take any notice of cats till then,’ said the vicar ; ‘ so why should I have him killed for what is my fault ? ’ *■ ‘ Try a muzzle,’ I suggested. But the old gentleman only shook his head ; and I must confess that I do not think it would have looked what he used call to seemly, for an elderly clerical gentleman to go out with a dog that was obliged to be muzzled. Certainly, dogs are muzzled sometimes during the hot months, with an idea that it is safer, and to give confidence to nervous people ; but as a rule the mouth straps are put on to prevent unnecessary slaying of brother dogs, or combats with other animals.

Spot never interfered with brother dogs, always passing them in quiet, serious manner especially his own ; but he had a slight leaning towards cows, taking an occasional run in the fields where they were and causing a terrible commotion, and no doubt antilacteal excitement, as, with heads down and tails up, the sleek butter-producers would break into a lumbering gallop, to Spot’s intense delight so long as the cows ran ; but come a stoppage, and let some long-horned dame, instead of running, turn and look wonderingly at the disturber of the peace of the pasture, and Spot would, as in the case of cats, suddenly remember that he was wanted elsewhere, and begin to trot back, with the cows formed into a semicircle, and following him up closely ; now and then, too, indulging in a frisk or lumbering bound which seemed to somewhat startle Spot, and hastened his steps till he was outside the gate, over which the cows would stretch their heads and stare until he was out of sight. Spot had many friends, even though, like the rest of the world, he had his enemies. He was always a well-fed dog; but at various places in the village, he could command a bone if he wanted one, by way of a lunch, or to amuse himself between meals. But no one took greater interest in him than old Mrs Barley, the sexton’s wife ; who, however, proved rather too good a friend, often nearly killing the poor dog with kindness. For Mrs Barley was particularly fond of what is vulgarly termed ‘ quacking ; ’ and when she could not find a human being upon whom to try her nostrums, she would physic the vicar’s dog. Poor old soul, she; had never heard of homcuopathy, which would have proved a blessing in her case ; since very few shillings would have fitted her out with a complete set of globule bottles, and she might have doctored and doctored, and never injured the constitutions of any of her patients. But the science of homoeopathy had not invaded the little village of Bubbley Parva, and Mrs Barley used to prescribe herbal and mineral remedies—the minerals being confined to two; Epsom salts, and that strangely scented powder, milk of sulphur ; while as to the herbal, it was wonderful what she would do with camomile tea. I knew one medical man who prescribed chlorody ne for sixty per cent of the maladies he had to cure ; and another who his faith to iodine and its combinations, and, no doubt, with justice. But Mrs Barley’s great specific was camomile tea, and where she did no good she certainly did very little harm ; while in a great many cases the two old women— Mrs Barley and Dame Nature—between them often patched up a man, to the great injury of old Joe Barley’s trade. So whenever Mrs Barley saw Spot panting rather heavily or a little lough in his coat, she coaxed him in, and, to use her own words, ‘ made him a mess,’ which the dog obediently lapped up. ‘ Pie has his odd times and ailings, like other folks, poor fellow,’ then Mrs Barley would observe lo her neighbors, and no doubt she did Spot a great deal of good ; while it uniat be admitted that the old woman’s kindness was genuine, and without hope of fee or reward. To io continued,