LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 566, 11 April 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

THE LIGHTHOUSE OF THE G AN NETS. IN’ FOUR CHARTERS. Chap. I.— To the Rescue. ( Chambers' Journal.) ‘Keep her away, you at the helm ! Keep her away ! d’ye hear? Pull, lads, just a couple more strokes, to clear the pier-head, as the current catches our bows, and then bear a hand with the sail. There’s hardly air enough stirring to flutter a lady’s veil inshore here, but I see broken wat r in the offing, and what little wind there is sets right for the Gannets.’

The speaker was a hale old mariner, whose pinnace, the Delight, was being rowed out of the tiny harbour of Ravenscombe, in the extreme south-west of England, on a brilliant summer’s morning, when sea and sky were alike decked out in the gayest tints of blue and gold, and when the balmy breeze was zephyr-like in the softness of its touch. The pretty watering-place, with its trim crescents and terraces, and the white villas above it, each nestling amidst myrtle bushes and fuchsia-beds, and banks carpeted with trailing roses, looked its best; and even the

gigantic dill's of the Cornish coast scorned to wear a smile, as though the loveliness of the weather; had possessed the power to charm away the rugged ness of the grim bare rocks, the base of which was bathed by the surges of the now sleeping Atlantic, On the quaint gray pier of rough-hewn stone sundry groups of idlers had gathered to watch the departure of the pleasure-boat, and parasols and handkerchiefs were waved in sportive token of adieu to those on board the Delight bv friends on shore.

'Mingling with none of these groups of gazers, but nevertheless intently observing the receding pinnace, was a young man, whose handsome face, slightly bronzed byexposure to a fiercer sun than that of Britain, wore an expression sad and dejected enough, as his eyes wistfully followed the little vessel starting on her holiday trip. In addition to the Delight’s crew of four sailors, she had on board four passengers, two of whom were ladies, mother and daughter evidently, the latter being a beautiful girl, who seemed to derive but little pleasure

from the prospect of the excursion, and from whom the gentleman who sat nearest to her vainly strove to win a smile or a lance of approval. ‘ Don’t you know them ?’ said avo’ce from among the nearest knot of lookers-on. ‘ Those are Mr and Mrs Lee, of Brooklands, half a mile out of town, and their daughter ; and that is Mr Darner, of Darner Park, who was M.P. for Camelford, a tremendously rich man. I hear that he and that pretty Miss Leo are likely to make a match of it.’

Lieutenant Gordon, 11. N.—the name of the young man who stood silently on the pier head, watching the boat as it was pulled out of harbour—could not forbear wincing as these carelessly uttered words reached his ears, albeit he was only too well aware that they were substantially true. Malcolm Gordon was beginning to wish that ho had never sten Havenscoinbe at all. It was but a few pleasant weeks since he had come thither with his friend Jack Lawless, whose tine schooner-yacht, the Titania, lay at anchor near the quay, with her white sails gracefully brailed up. He had learned to love Rosa Lee, and had won her love, although his proposals had been, but two days since, politely but coldly declined by Rosa’s parents, who were bent on seeing her established in [life as Mrs Damer, of Damer Park. Even with the smart of his recent disappointment rankling in his mind, Malcolm could not but own to himself that Mr Lee’s pieference of a wealthy son-in-law was scarcely to be wondered at. The young naval lieutenant had nothing but his pay, and was leading, as many good officers perforce do, a life of idleness on shore, for lack of the interest to secure employment. *lf my elder brother, Archie, had been the suitor in my stead,’ such was Malcolm’s solilocpiy, * perhaps he might have met with a more patient hearing.’ And as he spoke thus, memories of the green oak glades and dark fir-woods of Glendarroch ; of the grim, half-castellated house that had so long sheltered his Highland ancestors ; of the old laird his father, and of his only brother Archibald, who cared for little but the sporting over the wild moors, of which he was heir of entail, rose up before him ; and he was only recalled from his reverie by the sound of a cheery voice, which excldme I close by : ‘ Why, Gordon, old fellow, are you dreaming in brond daylight, that you ignore your best friends in this unconscionable fashion ! I have been looking for you high and low.’ It was Jack Lawless who spoke, laying his ungloved hand, as he uttered the words, on his friend’s shoulder. A blithe, kind hearted, utterly useless member of society was Jack, merely cue of the gilded youth of the age, of no special calling. But nevertheless, Jack was a favourable specimen of his kind, and his frank face and ringing laugh won him friends everywhere. He had a genuine regard for Malcolm Gordon. ‘ They will have a pleasant sail of it today,’ said the owner of the Titania, as he drew from the breast pocket of his blue yachtsman’s jacket a cigar-case, the weedy contents of which he offered to his friend. ‘ I saw Damer for a minute as he got down from his tandem, and he told me that he had chartered old Mawle’s boat there, and intended to play the part of a regular cicerone to the Lees, and shew them all the lions of the coast. They’re new people here, you remember, whereas Damer is a Cornishman born and bred. So they are off to the lighthouse on the Gannets, first of all; and then to Tregony Cave; and after picknicking there, they visit the Nun’s Stair, and Penluddra, and the Logan Stone, and ’ * The Gannets ! you don’t mean that she —they—that there can be any intention of visiting the lighthouse on the Gannets, today ?’ interrupted the young officer, with a nervous anxiety, inexplicable to his mercurial friend, who arched his eyebrows as he rejoined : ‘ Why not ? If they had consulted the almanac on every morning of the three hundred and sixty-live days in the year, I don’t suppose they would have chosen a better day here, on this stormy Cornish coast, where we come in for the full strength of the Atlantic rollers. They are well out of the lee of the land now, and bowling along merrily. I really envy them the excursion. The essential thing for us idlers is to know what comes next; a game at billiards, or ’

* It’s eleven miles to the Gannets ; two hours good, at the rate of sailing of that boat,’ muttered Gordon, heedless of his friend’s [suggestion; ‘ while to get back would occupy three, even without that visit to 'Tregony Cave. I don’t like it.’ And he threw another quick, searching glance at the horizon, where, on the verge of the goldfiecked sky, there floated a few streaks of filmy cloud, lying packed to windward. ‘ Come, come, don’t play the part of Cassandra !’ said Lawless incredulously; ‘ you are a sailor, and I a poor landsman, but second-sight alone could excuse such croakings. Why, I passed just now within earsnot of a cluster of old salts, among whom Dawson, my sailing master, was prominent, and their verdict was unanimous in favour of the day’s being an exceptionally fine one. Besides, Mawle, the shipper of flic Delight, is a tough old sea dog, who would not venture beyond the length of his tether, with ladies on board.’

‘ These Cornish coasting sailors are bold men enough,’ answered Malcolm, shaking his head; ‘ but they have too much foul weather ready-made to hand to be as ready to read the signs of a squall, white or black, as we who have learned our text-book in the hurricane, latitudes. But no man is infallible about st- rms. Come, we will play billiards, if you like. Come across, then, to Hcushaw’s Rooms, and let us while away the time over the rolling ivory.’ But after knocking the balls about for half an hour, Cordon grew restless, and laid aside his cue. ‘ It’s of no use, Jack ; I can t make a stroke to-day,’ he said. ‘lf you like, we’ll stroll about the place, though in good earnest I am sick of Ravenscombe. When, I wonder, can we up anchor and be oil ?’

‘ When you like, old boy, ’ said easy-goiug Jack, who had by this time gained an inkling of the fact, that his friend was seriously in love with Rosa, and that hia courtship had not prospered ‘ when you like. By Jove !’ he added, as they sallied out into the street, ‘I begiu to think you were a true prophet, and that the weather is not quite such a case of set fair as it seemed to be.’

And indeed, already had the beauty of the day departed, while a hazy film hung athwart the lately brilliant azure of the sky, and the wind, feeble as yet, blew in fitful gusts, that whirled aloft the dust and dried wrack-weed of the sandy beach. [To be continued )