LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 601, 23 May 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

LOCH VIEW. A TALE IN TiIKEE TARTS. (Continued ) Mrs Forbes came forward at once with outstretched hand. I saw she was a very lino lady indeed, all glowing in satin, and lace, and gold ornaments—a much liner lady than ever 1113- mother pretended to be, for she was simply and quietly dressed, never decked out with many' hues and tints, as Mrs Porbis was. Then I was introduced to the others ; and ere long L found myself going down to dinner with Alice Merritt, the eldest daughter of the house, leaning on my arm. But little interest had H o Forbes family to me then : I even smiled to myself as I remembered old Janet s warning about the young ‘misses ;’ and then I took a full view of the one sitting beside me at the table. She was undoubtedly a showy girl, with plenty' of colouring about her. Bin

eyes, sunny hair, pink cheeks, and white teeth. -And I saw her sister Carrie faintly resembled her, with a paler, washed-out kind of resemblance. Dick Merritt, the only son was overdressed and foppish. I took a cordial dislike to him at the moment, which increased as time went m. Ihe other people in the room were invited guests. Mr Cornish, the rich cotton broker, led Mrs Forbes down stairs, and poor Sandy walked humbly with the broker’s both r half. i soon discovered that, as sou and heir of Sir Dugald Allen, 1 was expected to prove a great attraction to the party—-was, in fact, the chief star of the evening. What they had been saying about me, or what they looked for in me, I know not, hut I could not hide from myself that 1 was honoured with great attention. Alice Merritt was most patronising, as girls will be to men who are four or live years their junior. She talked about Lochview as though she had been a native of the place. ‘ 1 was not aware my home was so familiar to you, Miss Merritt.*

‘ Oh, I don’t know it personally, she replied ; ‘ but Papa Forbes’ —and she nodded towards Sandy— ‘ Papa Forbes spent his early youth there, and I have been asking i-ira dozens of questions since I heard you were coming amonst us ’

‘ Very kind of you to take such a lively interest in me, I’m sure.’

‘ Lochview must be like a beautiful picture, with its hills and woods, and lights and shades. Is it not like a picture, Mr Allen ?’

‘ Yes ; and a very varying one. I wish you could have seen it as 1 did last evening, Miss Merritt Thou in the calm twilight it ko.cd the very emblem of lepose aod calm happiness. ’

‘And yet you gave it up t> come into this matter-of-fact, work-a-day sort of place ! How I long to get away from it sometimes ! A season at Lochview must he delightful, charming ! Mamma always will take us to Boulogne in the season, and that is almost as crowded and over done as Liverpool.’

‘ ! suspect you would soon grow tired of our (juiet north country. You would never see the new fashions there ; we are quite half a century behind other people.’ ‘ You like Lochview, don’t you ?’

‘ 0 yes ; my whole life, so far, has been spent there, and there are thousands of associations that make the place very-dear to me.’

Just then, I happened to look across the table, and saw a pair ot dee]), soft brown eyes watching me with lixed iutentness ; but they were averted the moment they met my gaze. A second glance showed that the owner of these wondrous eyes was a pale girl, with a face like a sweet pathetic legend —a lily-like girl, with delicately cut features and glossy bands of dark hair turned back in a full roll from her forehead. She wore a high black dress, unrelieved by the magic sparkle of ornaments, or by those delicate bits of colour of which girls of her ago so aptly know the charm. Alice rattled away after this, but I did not give much heed to her affected liveliness ; I was mainly intent on trying to meet those haunting eyes again. They attracted me with a mysterious power, they fascinated me, they tormented me marvellously ; I could not account for it. It seemed like some inexplicable affinity of soul to soul. At last the ladies rose from the table ; the flutter of ribbons and rustling of silks were heard as they passed out of the room and left us to our own resources. When we joined them in the drawing-room, my first thought an us to get a nearer view of the little girl in black ; but in vain I glanced into every corner of the room ; the eyes were not there, nor the owner of them either, Ky-and-by, impatience got the bettor of me, and I began to question Alice Merritt.

‘ Who was. that lady who sat opposite us at dinner ? I don’t see her here now.’

‘ Oh, you mean Mrs Wilkins ! She is the wife of an awfully rich old shipowner. ’

‘ Indeed ! A very young wife I should think.’

‘Fot so very young either, but very well preserved. See ; that is her husband talking with Papa Forbes—we always call him ‘ Papa Forbes,’ added she, laughing.

1 looked over, and saw a very stout old gentleman, with a bald shining heat! and short-cropped white beard. lie held ‘ Papa Forbes’ by the button-hole, while he propounded in his ears some intensely interesting subject, no doubt. l ls that Airs Wilkins’ husband ? Where is she now ?’

‘The carriage came for her just after dinner. Her married daughter gives a children’s party t<’-night, and she is gone to help to entertain the little ones ; poor Airs Sotherby, her daughter, is so delicate.’ ‘ I think we must be playing at crosspurposes. The young lady 1 mean never could be a grandmother. .She More a high black dress, and had deep, dark eves.’

‘ Perhaps you mean Hester Carew. Mamma would have her into dinner to-day, because we were thirteen—a mystic number. She lives with us, and has gone to bed now,

I daresay, poor child! Do you like music, Mr Allen?’

‘ Ves ; very much,’ replied I, noting much the change in Miss Merritt’s manner when she spoke of Hester. We walked side by side over to the piano, and there, with her gauzy blue dress spread round like a gigantic hyacinth, sat Carrie, a group of gentlemen beside her, for other friends bad dropped in to the evening party. ‘ What shall I sing?’ Catric was asking. Two or three songs were named ; and Carrie exclaimed quickly : *As none of you agree, I’ll sing my last new song, my special favourite just now.’ That song 1 am doomed to remember, for I have many a time since heard it sung by dearer lips than Carrie Merritt’s. {To he continued )