LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 353, 30 July 1875, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A SONG IN THE TWILIGHT. (Dublin University Magazine.) In the fine old library of Netherwood Castle the young Lord of Netherwood and his tutor, Mr Herman, were seated at a table covered with books and writing materials ; the soft air of the spring morning came through an open window, the sunlight played upon the dark oak fittings of the somewhat gloomy old room, and touched with gold the bright brown hair of the youth who never even for a moment kept quiet upon his chair, and whose attention was evidently not given to the books before him. It must be said, however, that in his companion he found no example for industry ; but while the boy’s eyes looked restlessly and longingly through the open window, and across the park to the sea, which was visible in the distance, dancing and sparkling brilliantly in the sunshine, the eyes of the tutor were fixed upon the door as though he were expecting some one to enter : once there was the rustle of a dress outside, and the man’s face Hushed high. He was rather handsome, but on close and critical inspection his face did not please ; and yet, although he was by nature mean and crafty, the expression of his eyes was neither sinister nor furtive, it was seemingly frank and honest enough, but wanting in softness and sweetness ; the mouth and nose were simply faultless, but there was a totally indescribable want in the man’s face which made even those who liked him for his many attractive qualities conscious that his good looks gave less pleasure than good looks are , generally wont to do. He was a gentleman by birth and education, but not in instinct or , in feeling; he was ambitious, scheming, utterly selfish, and heartless ; he hated men who were rich and who had an assured poaition ; he hated his own enforced life of dependence; his sensuous nature rebelled against work, and his eyes were ever open watching for the means to advance his own interests. He believed that now the Fates had been on his side, and had placed him in a position more prosperous than his most daring fancy had ventured to hope for ; the influence of friends, backed by his own undoubted qualifications, had secured for him the post of tutor to the young Earl of Netherwood, a self-willed and utterly spoiled minor with whom his mother could not bear to part. Between him and the other child, a daughter, there was an interval of six years, and that daughter, Lady Emily Hare, was now eighteen ; but as Lady Netherwood had married late in life, and had after so long an interval given up all hope of having a heir, so now she could not bring herself to send the boy to school, and therefore it came to pass that he was educated at home. Many tutors had come to Netherwood and had left again within three months; they had invariably been conscientious, hardworking men, who had done their utmost to restrain their wilful pttpil, and to keep his precocious depravity within bounds; but rebellion on his part would quickly ensue, he preferred|the company of his mother’s grooms and stable-men to that of his equals, the low haunts in the neighbouring county town were well known to him, and his handsome aristocratic young face had already lost much of the innocent expression natural to his age, while his language was a choice combination of profanity and slang. The lad had wit enough, however, to keep the darker side of his character hidden from his mother, and she honestly believed that the tutors against whom he chaffed, when they tried to restrain him, were hard upon her “darling Alfred,” and so one after another came and went, until at last Mr Herman appeared upon the scene, and with him the young lord could find no fault at all. Of course it never occurred to the boy that it was self-interest which prompted this very agreeable tutor to humour the tastes of his pupil, and to connive in the concealment of his favourite, but not very reputable, amusements ; enough of study was also gone through to keep up more than a pretence of work, and never had study been made so pleasant to the wayward youth. Herman had tact enough to leave oft' just at the right moment, while he always contrived not to notice what was not intended for his eyes, so ere long books, hitherto read surreptitiously, were read openly upon wet afternoons when neither boy nor man could go out of doors. But the young Lord Netherwood was not Mr;Herman’s only pupil in the castle; no one knew exactly how it had, come about,

but Lady Emily had throughout the winter which succeeded Herman’s arrival, been taking Italian lessons from him; her mother, , an indolent woman of feeble health, was satisfied to let the girl join her brother in the library during the time given by him to the study of modern languages, but the old lady did not know that five days out of the seven the brother would slip out unchecked by his tutor, and scarcely noticed by his sister, and thus the shrewd and unscrupulous man of the world and the unsuspecting girl would be left alone. Emily was beautiful, and by nature gentle and impressionable, but she had withal far more strength of will and self-control than the man who looked upon her as an easy victim to his designs ever suspected. He went very cautiously to work to create for himself an interest in her mind, and above all to inspire her with perfect confidence in his truth and honour. He never presumed, and he was never servile, and yet Emily never could understand why neither she nor her mother treated [him with the same rej serve which they had shown to the other tutors of the young lord ; he always joined the family party at dinner, and even when there were guests in the house he made one of the larger circle also. Herman, although perfectly at his ease in society, preferred the family party, for it was then his habit to read aloud after dinner for the mother and daughter—Alfred was always supposed to be engaged with his books in the library—and when the young lady sang or played, he showed his appreciation of her performance, not by profuse admiration, but by criticism which was honest enough to be of value, and yet through which a subtle vein of flattery ran. Little did the beautiful and innocent girl, by whose side he thus stood evening after evening, dream of the wild schemes which were revolving through the restless brain of the man in whom she found so much perilous fascination; she believed that she loved him, and she never allowed herself to dwell upon an undefined feeling of repulsion, which seemed to run side by side with the liking in her heatt. If it were possible to love and hate at the same time, Emily loved and hated the tutor Herman : the truth was, her fancy only not her heart had been caught, but that very fact put winning cards into his hands, and his fate would have been very different had he but determined to play them honestly, and not tried to win by cheating whathonourable perseverance might have secured for him. ( To be continued,')