LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 265, 17 April 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A TERRIBLE WED DING-TRIP,

Chapter I

My life, on the whole, has been commonplace and uneventful enough. Nevertheless, there stands out one episode, so strange and fearful, that even at this distance of time I am unable to contemplate it without a shudder. Before narrating it, 1 must introduce myself, and give a brief account of my antecedents.

I was born in India. Of my father, who was a surgeon in the army, I have but an indistinct recollection, for he died before I had attained the age of seven, and his kind face has faded into a dim memory. Very vividly, however, can I recall my mother’s overwhelming grief at his loss, and the sad voj age which followed, from India to her native country, England. 1 was, of course, too young at the time to feel very acutely either my father’s death or the reverse of fortune which accompanied it ; but the fact that we were left with no other means of support than the small pension of an officer’s widow and child, was a bitter aggravation of mamma’s trial. Naturally extravagant, and brought up with habits of reckless expenditure, the practice of economy was a new and difficult task for her. Prompted, however, by her excessive devotion to myself, she learned it well ; and it is to the exercise of a rigid self-denial on her part that I owe the very liberal education which she contrived to afford me. Unable to support the expense of an establishment, however small, we lived, during the first ten years after coming to England, in lodgings. But at the close of that period, when I had accordingly reached the age of seventeen, an event occurred which produced a welcome change in our position. Upon the death of her half-sister—a wealthy widow, who, with the exception of her son, Mr Hugh Fernley, had been our only relative in England—mamma found herself possessed, in addition to the agreeable legacy of a few thousand pounds, of a prettily furnished cottage in Westmoreland. To our new home we removed forthwith ; but though at first highly delighted both with it and the charming scenery by which it was surrounded, we soon found that a residence in the rural village of Elstonlec was not without its drawbacks. Pleasant as it was during the summer season to ramble about in fragrant woods and winding country lanes, or to rake and weed in our own little garden, these innocent recreations palled in time; and when the long winter months succeeded, the outdoor life became less enjoyable, the loneliness and seclusion of the place oppressed us, and I, at any rate, learned to consider Woodbine Cottage as by no means a paradise. Our all but sole society consisted of the rector and his wife, and Dr Adair. The latter was a gentleman about forty years of age, a bachelor, well educated and intelligent, but rather sedate. As the only physician in the neighbourhood, he enjoyed an extensive practice, his services being in requisition for miles of the country around our village. Undoubtedly a clever practitioner, and having a ger tie and sympathetic nature, the doctor was a universally esteemed and welcome guest, but it was at Woodbine Cottage that he elected to spend most of his spare time. Constituting himself from the first quite a friend of the family, he took an untiring interest in all our little affairs, and mamma and I had reason to be grateful for innumerable kindnesses most unobtrusively rendered. His evening calls became more frequent and prolonged as the time passed on; and as they formed the only breaks in the monotony of our lives, wo were not sorry when they grew to be of even daily occurrence. Gifted with a wonderfully retentive memory, and possessing a large amount of dry wit, our grave friend proved an agreeable companion. Though never appearing to exert himself uncomfortably for our entertainment, he would, nevertheless, at each visit manage to amuse us by the relation of an interesting anecdote, or, when he could do so without betraying professional confidence, by the repetition of some morsel of local gossip. Regularly, too, each evening before parting, mamma and he would indulge in a few games at backgammon ; whilst I, at their request, would drown the noise of rattling dice beneath the sweeter sounds of Handel’s water-music, Bach’s symphonies, or Beethoven’s sonatas. Dr Adair was passionately fond of music, and not uufrequently, at the conclusion of a game, he would leave mamma’s side, and lean, for a few moments over the back of my chair, silently watching my fingers as they strayed over the kej's of the piano. One evening, some two years after our settlement in Elstonlee, I had, I think, been playing with rather more taste and pathos than usual, and the doctor had taken his favorite position, when, happening to glance upwards, I detected an expression upon his face, which caused me quickly to avert my own, and which brought the warm blood rushing in a torrent over cheek and brow. It was the suddenness of the revelation which had broken upon me, however, and not any pleasure that I derived from it, which made my heart palpitate so rapidly as 1 continued the melody. Until that instant, I had never conceived such a thing possible, yet that one glance had sufficed to convince me that the elderly physician was my lover. Had 1 needed further assurance of the fact, it was forthcoming, for, upon the following day, I received from him an offer of marriage. This, though with much distress on his account, I was obliged to decline, for, though my esteem and admiration for him were great, I had learned to regard the good doctor rather in the light j,of a father, and could not now feel for him a warmer sentiment. For three days this unfortunate contretemps disturbed the pleasant relationship which had subsisted between us ; but upon the fourth, Dr Adair reappeared at the house. There was perhaps an additional shade of gravity discernible in his demeanour for some time afterwards, but the offer was not again alluded to, and by degrees we fell into our former unconstrained manner of intercourse. Equanimity, however, had not long been restored to our little party, before it was again discomposed by anxiety on account of the state of my health. A severe cold had settled upon my lungs, appetite bad entirely forsaken me, and day by day I was growing paler and thinner. Greatly alarmed, mamma nursed me indefatigably, whilst the doctor’s kindness and attention were unremitting. Still there was no improvement, and the fear of consumption began to loom like a dread shadow' over our horizon. /Winter approached, and my obstinate cough defying all remedies, our medical adviser, though with evident reluctance, expressed his opi-

nion that it would he advisable for me to spend it in a warmer climate. Mamma, of course, at once resolved to follow his recommendation, which I hailed with pleasure, as not only affording the prospect of recovered health, but also of some change from our quiet and solitary life. Consultations followed as to the best locality for’the winter quarters, and after a little hesitation between the rival merits of Veutnor and Torquay, decision was given in favour of the latter place. A preliminary bustle of dressmaking and other preparations ensued, and we left Westmoreland for the more genial south. Arrived at our destination, we took up our residence in a highly fashionable boarding-house or private hotel. Albyn Hall stood in extensive grounds of its own, occupying a delightful and com manding situation; and the establishment, which was large, and furnished throughout with extreme elegance, was in every respect well conducted. The season having commenced before our arrival at Torquay, the house was already well tilled, and whilst the whole party was social in the extreme, many of the guests, to my supreme satisfaction, were young. It did not lessen ray content to find that they were also gay, and that it was customary for the more quiet and elderly people to retire each evening to one of the public drawing-rooms, whilst the other woulo resound with merry laughter, and very frequently with music and dancing. It took me some little time to get accustomed to our new life, offering, as it did, so great a contrast to the stagnant existence, as I now considered it, which we had of late been leading. But I presently began to feel quite at home, and, delighting in society, my gratification daily increased. In fact, as I repeatedly told myself, I had never before felt so happy, and to my exuberant spirits was doubtless in a great measure to be attributed the almost miraculous improvement which took place in my health. We had been at Torquay about two months, when, one evening, happening to be dressed a little earlier than usual, I sauntered into the drawing-room to await there the ringing of the dinner-bell. Several gentlemen were dispersed about the apartment, reading newspapers, or chatting upon politics, and amongst them was one lady. A glance showed me that this was Lady Janet (Griffiths, an especial favourite of mine ; and seating myself by her side, 1 was admiring some lace-work upon which she was engaged, when the tones of an unfamiliar voice struck upon my ear. Looking up, I observed that a stranger sat directly opposite us, conversing with poor Herr Eberhard, a young German, who was endeavouring, by a winter in Torquay, to prolong a life, whose certain doom his hollow cheeks and hacking cough too plainly told. The new-comer was a strikingly handsome man, apparently about twenty-eight years of age. His features were finely cut, and his fair and very clear complexion contrasted well with the raven black of his hair and moustache. His eyes were large and dark, and his figure, though small, was finely moulded. Very white and regular teeth displayed themselves when he smiled or spoke, and I noticed also the extreme whiteness and delicacy of his hand, my attention being drawn to it by the incessant movement of the long fingers as they played with his watch chain. Never before had I been so singularly impressed as I was by this gentleman, and again and again I found my eyes wandering to his face, attracted by a peculiar style of beauty, that seemed absolutely to fascinate me. But at length, having once or twice encountered his glance, I felt my behaviour to be anything but feminine ; so I turned to Lady Griffiths, and strove to interest myself in her work. Mamma was hate that evening in performing her toilet, and as I waited until she made her appearance, we were the last to enter the dining room. Upon reaching my usual place at the table d’hote, I could not help feeling a sensation of pleasure on perceiving that the fresh arrival had been accommodated with a seat next to my own ; and my satisfaction was farther increased when, during dinner, I found his attention directed exclusively to myself ; and so interesting did his conversation prove, that the hour of dinner, usually so tiresome, passed but too rapidly. There was no dancing that evening. Mr St Julien —that, I had ascertained, was the name of my new acquaintance—was my partner in a game at whist, and in spite of the superior attractions of other girls by whom we were surrounded, he still kept his place by my side when it was finished. That evening was but the prototype of those which followed ; Mr St Julien continued, as he had begun, to select me as the principal object of his attentions, and as our intimacy increased, I discovered that he added to his other advantages that of being an accomplished scholar. How happy I was, as day by day our friendship deepened, and the conviction forced itself upon me, that Herbert St Julien was falling in love with me ! It was but slowly, indeed, that I would allow myself to believe the fact, for it appeared to me too delightful to be true. Nevertheless, it was so. He loved me with an ardor and devotion equal to that which I bestowed upon him in return; and in little more than six weeks from the day I had first met him, Herbert St Julien and I were fiance. Rejoicing in my joy, mamma readily gave her consent to the betrothal, and expressed perfect satisfaction with the account Mr St Julien had given of himself. This was, briefly, that, with the exception of a sister-in-law, he had no relation in the world ; that he had latterly been living in the neighbourhood of Cambridge, where he had a house ; but that, having been seriously ill, and suffering still from occasional severe headaches, and general debility, he Lad been recommended to travel. He had not, he said, intended to remain at Torquay longer than a week, as he was merely taking the place on his way to Italy ; and had it not been for the “sweet cause” of his change of plan, he would now have been at his estate upon Lake Como. The mention of this latter particular brings me to notice the only thing which occasioned me any uneasiness with regard to my future prospects; this was, that, from all I could gather, ray intended husband was a man of enormous wealth; from time to time he would mention by name some castle, property, or estate belonging to him, until it appeared to me that he had possessions in almost every European country. To he continued.

What is that which you cannot hold te u minutes, although it is “as light aa a feather?”—Your breath.

“He handled his gun carelessly, and put on his angel phypage,” is the latest obituaf notice.