LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 651, 20 July 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

WHITE iSATIN.

{Continued.)

'I beg your honour's pardon,'said Baldwin gravely. ' You will keep me on ? I don't precisely take your meaning.' 'Don't be an ass,' said Mr Woolner. 'What do you suppose will become of this place? These masters of yours have looked their last on it, I can assure you. When their business is settled, who's more likely to step into it than the man who has deserved more of his Majesty's Government —more, sir, 1 tell you—than any other man from here to London? Come, you're not such a fool as you look. Not so clever as you think yourself, may be, but that's another thing. You have eyes enough to see your own interest.' • Well, sir, thank your honour, I hope I have,' said Baldwin quietly. ' So, among other things, I want the deeds of this estate,' proceeded Mr Woolner. 1 1 shall begin to-morrow morning to collect the papers, and look over them at my leisure. Seven o'clock—l am an early man; so all your lazy louts had better bestir themselves, if they don't want to be sent packing. Now, get along with you, and send my man Dodsou. I shall do no more to-night.' Baldwin retired with a low bow, and Mr Woolner presently tramped upstairs to the best bedroom, which. Mrs Farrar had grudgingly prepared for him. But he was not destined to have a quiet night. At last in possession of Boxlcy Hall, for years the object of his ambition, he rolled from side to side of the great fourposter, listened to the wind howling in the chimneys, started at the creaking of the boards, and at last jumped out of bed, feeling quite sure that people were moving in the room underneath. He threw on some clo'hes, wrapped himself in a warm gown lined with fur—for the night was bitter, and cold winds seemed to find their way in at every joint and coiner of the old house—took his sword and a lighted lamp, opened the door, and stole downstairs into the hall, feeling like a thief himself as he crept along. There were a few red embei s still glowing on the hearth in the empty hall; they and his flickering lamp seemed to plunge the rest of the house in still deeper darkness. He stood still listening in the middle of the room. The wind howled frightfully outside, as if a thousand witches were careering on their broomsticks fthrough the terrified air; the soft rush of frozen snow against the windows might have been the flick and rustle of their garments as they jostled each other, and went crowding pa§t.

* Here's a night to be out in ! ' muttered Mr Woolner to himself. • And of all the ghostly old holes I ever was in—l'll pull it down, and build a new house, I swear I will! '

Certainly the powers of the air were on the Jacobite side of the question that night ; for this stout magistrate, in the prime of life, strong in possession and in loyalty, was almost unmanned by their wild clamour, and shivered as he walked across the hall and along the passage leading to the library. As his hand was on the door, a sudden puff of wind from some clink blew his lamp out. ' 111 open the door, however,' said he. ' This must be under my sleeping-room.' He opened it rather slowly, expecting to see nothing but darkness. The library wag a long room, with an arched ceiling : this, and all the book screens, with their separate shadows standing out, made it stretch away into the distance like the aisle of a church. In the background of the picture, in the innermost recess, a faint light was shining, and Mr Woolner distinctly saw a figure bending over the open drawer of a table—a lady, in a long, strangely-cut satin gown, which gleamed white and grey and shadowy in the faint glimmer that seemed to fall from behind her.

She held some papers in her hands, which she was looking at earnestly. But the little noise at the door startled her: she stood suddenly upright, turned her head, her face being still in shadow, and gazed steadily for a moment down the room. Then she threw up both her arms in the air, still clasping the papers in her hands; the light vanished suddenly, and in the deep, black darkness Mr Woolner heard nothing but a soft rustle, which seemed to recede into the distance. The howling wind had paused for a minute ; he stood there till the cold and blackness and silence of the library became unbearable, and then turned round, locked the door behind him, and went back, with long, uncertain strides, down the passage and along tha hall. Tradition says that he stumbled upstairs and into his room in a rather undignified way. He had recovered his self-posses-sion, however, by the morning, when he sent for old Baldwin to speak to him alone, and he told him the events of the night. Of course one knows that in these days a magistrate would have walked coolly forward to the lady in white satin, and inquired judicially into her business there; but a hundred and fifty years ago there were still suoh things as ghosts ; and, considering this, Mr Woolner's prudence does not seem to me unnatural.

' Who is she, Baldwin ?' he said, and his manner was much quieter and more becoming than it had been the night before. ' I never heard that you had a ghost here.'

1 Oh, sir, she's very harmless,' said Baldwin, gravely shaking his head. 'lt's bad news for the family, though, that you've seen her. She appears when any great misfortune is hanging over them. We don't know much more of her. But your honour need not be alarmed.'

' I never saw a ghost before though—and I never half believed in them,' said Mr Woolner. ' She's right this time, I suspect. But, as soon as my affairs are in order, I shall call in the parson and have her laid. We shall manage to do without her at Roxley when her friends are gone.' •No doubt, sir. It's curious enough,' said old Baldwin, thoughtfully; ' but I should like to ask your honour a question. I never saw the lady myself—but would you please to come into the library with me ?' • Ay ! what for ? Stay a moment, though;' and Mr Woolner turned back to snatch up his sword.

Then he followed Baldwin into the room, which in morning daylight and the white glare of snow looked cold, and dismal, and comfortless, without any sign of an inhabitant.

' She's gone now, at any rate,' said Mr Woolner. 'And here's the table, as if it had never been touched.'

'Yes, sir. Just please to look at that picture. Has it any likeness to what you saw last night ?' 'By George !' said Mr Woolner, after staring at it for a moment in bewildered silence, ' 'tis the lady herself—the very dress. I could swear to it anywhere.' ' That is the lady, sir—so I have always heard,' said Baldwin. ' And an uncommonly ghostly looking pic* ture it is. Well painted, though. Some fools would give a round sum for that. We'll try them by-and-by ; for I don't care to have pictures in my house that come out of their frames and walk about at night, disturbing honest people. Ay, the very same thing ! I never met with anything so curious.' ' These old families have their strange secrets,' said old Baldwin, smiling a little as he turned away. Chapter V. THE DEEDS. One set of shelves in the bookcase opposite the picture opened outwards with a spring, as I have told you before. Inside it there was a little narrow stone staircase, winding up in the thickness of the wall, leading to a small oblong room, ■with a matted floor and a low bed, and such few pieces of furniture as it would hold, warmed by its nearness to the hall chimney, and lighted by a narrow slit in the wall between two roofs, not visible from outside, and further screened by the ivy which clustered ovGr that side of the house Such rooms as this seem to tell a story of adventures which would effectually shake the nerves of our contemporaries, if thoy were called upon to go through them. Here Lady Lisle, after successfully acting ghost for the first time, sat down rejoicing, to look over the papers which she had snatched out of her husband's secret drawer. Just as Mr Woolner opened the door, after half an hour more of vain endeavor, she had touched the spring, the small inner drawer had sprung open, and Dick's packet of letters lay before her. Yes, here they were, in the foolish fellow's wild, straggling hand, and as Lady Lisle looked into them, she saw enough to bring him and all his belongings twenty times over to the scaffold. 'lf I had been Sir James, I'd. have burnt these long ago,' thought she. ' However, here they are safe.' And she locked them up in the leather box that was waiting for them.

The next day seemed very long and weary, though she slept through part of it, tired with anxiety and excitement. Late in the evening she ventured down, and found a little basket of food, and a small note from Baldwin, at the foot of the staircase.

'W. believes firmly in your ghostship,' said the note. ' Fright him as much as you

will, but with care and caution. Make sure of the Roxley deeds, if you know where to lay hand upon them.' , This word of warning was enough tor Lady Lisle; it raised her impatience and daring to the highest pitch. She stopped a moment before the portrait, her inspiration, looking up into its dim features with a smile. ...... -i . * 'Yes.' she said, 'l'll fright mm. A shost has no business with fear. What said Esther ? *lf I perish, I perish ?' She did it for her people ; but I do it for Sir James, and little Harry, and Dick. Such an adventure would suit poor Dick's taste marvellously.' . ~, , ~,,, So she moralised, and, with her little amp in her hand, went sweeping through the library, and along the passage to the door of the hall. There were voices talking inside. She paused, and gave three little taps on the door, which silenced them at once. She was not afraid of recognition; for she had painted and powdered her face, and drawn a white veil partly over it. bhe laid her hand on the latch, raised it gently, gushed the door slowly open, and glided 1, her eyes bent on the ground, and her long train curling and sweeping after her. The old oak of the hall was difficult to light up, and the flower part of the room, which she passed along, was in shadow. Two candles were burning on a table near the 'fire, where Mr Woolner was sitting in one of the great chairs with a bowl of punch before him, and old Baldwin standing by, with one or two of the upper servants. All these people stared in blank silence at the apparition. Mr Woolner dropped the spoon he had in his hand; it clanked and jingled on the hearth. The men stood with their mouths open, and old Baldwin shook his head and sighed deeply. Then Mrs Farrer came in from the kitchen, carrying a dish, right in the ghost's path, started violently, but fortunately without dropping her dish, and fell heavily on her knees with a piteous groan. 1 Saints protects us ! Madam, whoever you be, have mercy upon us !' The ghost moved her head gently from side to side, waved her hand, and went gliding on, passing between Mrs Farrer and the company by the fire. The housekeeper, as she passed, caught up the hem of her gown and kissed it—a movement of daring affection which, fortunately, escaped Mr "Woolner. The lady was gone ; she had glided out towards the staircase, and nobody seemed inclined to follow her. Mrs Farrer crossed herself devoutly, got up from her knees, and came forward in a slow, shaky manner to the table. Mr Woolner was the first to break the silence.

'Upon my life, these Lisles are in a bad way. Doe 3 that lady mean to walk the house every night till their heads are off ! I vow I'll send for some of those fellows that don't believe in ghosts—they'll believe their own eyes, I suppose.' * Poor dear lady !' sighed Mrs Farrer. ' I wish she could rest quiet in the grave. How sad she looks, to be sure !' 'Yon may have your wish, dame, in a month or two's time,' said Mr Woolner. * She shall rest quiet enough, or I'll make bold to know the reason of it. There, you fellows, get you gone to the kitchen, and don't prate your tongues off—or do, if you like—they'd be no loss. Now, Baldwin, about these [deeds. Where are they ? I mean to have 'em, mind you; so the sooner you hunt 'em up the better/ * Deeds, bless your honour! There are whole bundles of deeds in the big carved chest in the lumber room that's lost the key, said Mrs Farrer.

1 Then we'll have the lid off. First thing in the morning, Baldwin—d'ye hear? I wonder where the ghost is now !' said Mr Woolner, thoughtfully. ' She seems harmless enough, to be sure; but 'tis none so pleasant to have a thing like that walking to and fro in your house. I say, good woman, did you ever see it before ?' 'Never, sir,'said Mrs Farrer solemnly.

' But you had heard of it ?' ' Many and many a time. 'Tis a serious sign of misfortune to the family,' and Mrs Farrer sighed. ' I am glad, to be sure, that my lady's not here to see it. Why, Mr Baldwin, if; would scare her out of all her pretty wits.' (To oe continued.)