LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 389, 10 September 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

SAVED BY A HAIR'S-BREADTH. TOLD BY THE lIOUSEKEEPET. (Continued.) We were to start at six o'clock; the jour : ney being so long, and at that time of the year it was dark at five o'clock. But Tomlin, the coachman, knew the way well, and was a steady man. The footman was a young man called Kemp, who had not been long in Sir Richard's service. My young lady was wrapped from head to foot in a costly cloak of sables, to protect her from the cold ; and, as of course she could not go all that distance bareheaded, her head was muffled in her fur hood. The pearls she was to wear in her hair I carried in her jewel box, for she was to put on her ornaments in York, as were going first to the rooms engaged at the hotel before proceeding to the Assembly Rooms. As I was not in evening dress, of course I did not recpnre to be so much wrapped up as my young lady ; but I wore a large cape of gr*y sorrel fur, which Miss Adela had J** ™>, and a coarse straw bonnet and k veiL Miss

Adela was to meet her uncle and aunt and a large party at the Assembly Rooms, so all was right and proper, and she would have a chaperone, as they call it, which, I believe means a married lady to look after young girls. The last thing Sir Richard said to me, after his sister had kissed him, and we were just going down to the carriage, was, 'Raites, mind you bring me Miss Adela back by five , o'clock to-morrow afternoon,' I was giving him his colchicum at the time, and he spoke so abrupt like,£fchat he almost made me drop the glass. But I said, *O, certainly, Sir Richard, you shall be obeyed.' Little did I think where we should be next day at five o'clock. However, we drove off at last.

As I have said, it was terribly cold, and the first seven miles of our journey I and my young lady, in spite of our furs, could not help shivering occasionally. However, we kept as close to each other for warmth, as possible. At the end of about eight miles we arrived at the Hendon Arms, where we were to leave our own horses. The Hendon Arms was a small roadside hostelry about a mile and a half from the Hendon estate; and Mr Everard Durncastle's family also lived about two miles further on, on the other side of the inn,

I can't say I much liked the place, as far as I could judge of it, as we drove up. It was but dimly lighted with oil lamps, and it was situated just on the edge of a bleak mot r, where three or four roads met. There were no houses nor buildings of any sort, as I afterwards learnt, nearer than Hendon House, which was from a mile and a half to two miles further on. But the ' Hendon Arms' did a fair trade, as it lay at the junction of several roads, one of which led direct to York.

The house was a long, low, red-tiled building,' with a wooden horse-trough before the door, for the accommodation of tho York coaches, which passed by at intervals ; and there were benches underneath some scrubby looking bushes, which I suppose were used in summer time by the pedlars, shepherds, and such like persons, whilst drinking their draughts of ale. 'Of course we were expected, and the landlord —I remember his name was Dummet —came to the carriage door to see if my young lady would alight and warm herself whilst the horses were being changed. 'No,' she said; 'why should Ido that? It will only take a few minutes.' ' Just as you like, madam,' said Dummet. ' But I have a really nice parlour, well warmed, and I thought you might like to sit there whilst your servants took some refreshments.

I felt my young lady shiver, and I said that I really thought it would be well to warm herself and take perhaps half a glass of wine and water. I don't think she would have alighted on her own account but she was always considerate for her servants, and when I reminded her that there was a long cold drive still to come for the coachman and footman, she consented to enter the ' Hendon Arms' for a quarter-of-an-hour. I must say the parlour surprised me. Though it was not large it was well furnished. There were sofas and mirrors, and paintings, and wax candles, and the floor was covered with a beautiful white carpet, flowered with crimson roses, and felt like velvet under your feet; a small round table was spread with oranges, comfits, cake and wine. We heard afterwards that this room was never used by the landlord or any of his customers, except Sir Luke Hendon and his friends. Sir Luke, it appeared, was in the habit of spending some of his evenings here playing at cards or dice with a few of the neighbouring squires. When I say neighbouring, I mean within a circuit of a dozen miles. A sort of club was in fact held here by these gentlemen; and you must bear in mind that forty years ago gentlemen were not nearly so fastidious in their tastes and habits as they are now. On the evening of the York ball, this room had been specially prepared for my young lady by Sir Luke's order, who knew that her carriage would change horses here on its way to York. I could see that my young lady was as much surprised as I at the unexpected appearance of this Aladdin's palace on dreary Yorkshire moor. Infact, she was about to put some questions to the inn-keeper, when a sidedoor opened, and to our extreme astonishment in walked Sir Luke Hendon. He walked toward us as airily as if we had been in some fashionable drawing-room. But the position was an awkward one, and Miss Adela received him very coldly, for was he not a rejected suitor of hers ? Still, with her high breeding, she was polite, though frigidly so. After an interchange of a few polite phrases, Sir Luke explained to my young lady that knowing she was to change horses at the 'Hendon Arms,' he had come across the country in order to ask to be permitted to escort her to York, he having accidentally learned from a friend of Sir Richard's sudden illness. I remember that, although this conduct would have been perfectly natural in an accepted lover, it struck me as being exceedingly strange on the part of a rejected one. But Sir Luke was not one who would readily take 'No ;' and woman-like, I admired him for it; and so, perhaps, in her heart did my young lady. She seemed a little confused and disturbed ; but she could not in common courtesy make any objection after Sir Luke had taken all this trouble upon her account. So, though with considerable reluctance, she assented. Sir Luke was not in ball costume, although he also was to be at the ball at the Assembly Rooms. He informed us that he had sent his valet on with a dress suit to one of the York Hotels, where had hired rooms for the night. So it was all arranged, and my young lady was persuaded to take a glass of wine and water spiced and a sponge cake. As for me, I don't mind saying that I had two glasses of wine, and a large helping of a beautiful trifle covered with custard; and I really don't think I ever enjoyed anything so much in my whole life. Sir Luke had retired for a few minutes, and at last he came back in a huge buff .overcoat, which he said he had borrowed of the landlord, and announced that the carriage was ready. He handed us in, but he would not get in himself beside us, as he said he should only crush my lady's dress ; and, besides, he would not press his company on her, as he knew it was distasteful to her ; so he got upon the box. It was so exceedingly dark that I could not see Tomlin, our coachmon. But I knew young Kemp was all rig-lit behind, as I heard his voice saying • Good night' to the hostler. Kemp, I must remark, was a raw country lad, bred on the Paulinson estate ; and although he had been but a very short time in Sir Richard's service, he was devoted to my young lady„ (Yb be continued.)