LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 768, 6 December 1876, Page 3

LITERATURE.

HOW IT HAPPENED. ( Continued.) My class was broken up, and lights were brought in, just as Louis (Jarter entered the room to give his afternoon lessons. It struck me that his face wore an unusually grave and forlorn look that evening, but he smiled a greeting Avhen he recognised me. I was a little curious to see what impression the neAV pupils would make upon him. They were neither of them girls to be passed over unnoticed in any assemblage. I naturally concluded that none of the three had ever met before, and I was therefore much surprised to hear Fenella whisper to her sister, ‘ltis he ! It is the same Mr Carter, and he is my very particular friend. What do you think of him ? ’ Frances had a habit of pausing before she spoke, as if she were anxious not to say anything without due consideration. She was just beginning to reply when the governess, who had appeared with our professor, called the two up to introduce them to the notice of the master. As she did so I noticed that she put the younger girl’s name first, as I have done in writing, and as I always felt inclined to do Avhen addressing them both together by word of mouth. In after days I often wished that we had not fallen into this habit. It was explained that Frances did not play much. Hitherto she had never attempted more than the performance of her own accompaniments. I drew a little nearer to observe whether Louis was also an old acquaintance of hers. It appeared not, but he Avas evidently far from remaining unitn pressed by her beauty. His cheek flushed when his dreamy eyes fell upon the lovely downcast face before him, and I thought he lingered over the delivery of his opinion as he told her gently that he considered she made a great mistake, if she had a fine voice, in not straining every nerve to become a good player as Avell as an excellent singer. * So much depends on the Avay that a song is accompanied,’ he said. Fenella had been Avaiting impatiently. She now held out her hand. ‘ You and I have met before, Mr Carter,’ she exclaimed, with a saucy and coquettish air. The other pupils opened their eyes with surprise at her audacity. It Avas not etiquette in the school for the girls to speak to the masters, except when they had some question to ask about their studies. ‘Stand aside, Miss Perrin, if you please,’ the governess said, in freezing tones, Avhile she motioned to another young lady to come forward and take her place at the piano. I Av-fs now ready to return home, but it Avas raining heavily, and the German mistress persuaded me to wait awhile in the hope that the Aveather might improve. This Avas her holiday hour, and she cairied me off upstairs to her room, to share her leisure for a time. She had a pleasant little sanctum here, all to herself. The chamber was cosy, cheerful, and warm, for a bright fire Avas burning in the grate. A large cat sat on the rug, purring and blinking. A vase filled with sweet-scented violets and Christmas roses was upon the table, and an open piano stood against the Avail. It would have been impossible for us to make use of this instrument just now, however, even had we wished to do so, as the music from below came to us in full distinctness. We sat doAvn and listened. There was presently a change of performers. Some one began to play Avith a good deal of brilliancy, but in every feAv bars a note was dropped or played incorrectly. ‘ I feel sure it is Fenella Perrin who is at the piano,’ I said. My companion ran off to find out whether my surmise had been correct, aud came back laughing, and informing me I Avas right. * What a face, perfectly lovely, has the little girl Avith the bright hair,’ she observed, enthusiastically, as she sat down again. Of course I assented to this. * I like both the girls,’ I said. * They must come to me on Saturday next. ’ At this moment a clear, full, melodious voice began to sing that pathetic ‘ Parting Song,’ by Gilbert. ‘lt is Frances. It is early yet to talk of separation, when she has only just come to us,’ I said, when the last soft notes had died away. She was one of those singers who can constrain attention, and make the hearers forget the world, and all its cares, as they listen. By the time the rain had ceased it was quite dark, and 1 Avas very glad to find that Louis Carter Avas then ready and willing to escort me home. We chose the shortest way from the Academy to the College, although this led us over the old bridge, Avhich my companion told me he nearly always avoided crossing. He kept me lingering there on this occasion, howeA^er. * I never saw any beauty in this dreary place before,’ he said, ‘ I have generally an instinctive, unaccountable dislike to the spot; and yet, to-night, it has a sort of fascination for me Perhaps I shall learn to admire lledchester scenery in the end, Mrs Gray, as you do.’ The moon had just risen, and Avas casting a Avhxte ghostly light around Candles gleamed in the cottage windoAVS here and there, and lamps burned and flared in many of the boats. A great tree near us cas gloomy shadows from its leafless branches, and shook and groaned beneath the Avintry blast. The Avater below rushed SAvirling tlirough the arches of the bridge, and washed angrily against the sides of some old decaying vessels, drawn up on the bank, at a little distance off, to aAvait the destructive Avork of time, for seafaring superstition forbade their use as firewood. We were nearing home, at last, when my companion suddenly asked me it 1 Avould do him a favour. ‘ Certainly, if it is in my power,’ I answered, Avondering at his eager and yet hesitating manner. ‘ What do you wish ? ’ ‘ Will you get the Miss Perrins to attend our choir practice ? ’ ‘lf 1 can. The pretty one could help much Avith her voice. Ts she not beautiful ?’ ‘ I never ssav any one half so lovely before,’ he replied, aud I thought the arm upon which my hand rested trembled as he spoke. ‘And Fenella,’l inquired, ‘do you like her ? She and you seemed to be old friends ’ * I used to meet her, sometimes, Avhen I was living at Weston,’ he said, absently. ‘ She is gay and merry ; hut when she plays she has no soul. ’ We had reached the College then, and she was turning atvay.

‘Has Frances no soul in her voice?’ I asked. I thought he had not heard my question; but after a short pause a very energetic reply came wafted to me through the gloom made by the overshadowing houses : ‘ Plenty of soul, but much need of study.’ ChAl'Tkr 11. It had become a settled thing that the Perrin girls were to spend every Saturday afiernoon with me. We had all three taken to each ether, and I did not quite know whether I liked Frances or Fenella most. The latter I soon discovered to be an arrant coquette and flirt. She was, moreover, intolerably vain. Both the girls had already many admirers in lledchester. Much to my surprise, Fenella was more thought of and talked about than Frances. Whenever the former escaped from the Academy she was always on the qui vive, looking out for a meeting with any male being, were it even but a juvenile collegian, with whom she could get up a little flirtation. It was quite a trial to her, lam sure, that there was seldom a youth to be seen with us when she arrived; for as Saturday was a half holiday at the College as well as at the Academy, all the scholars generally dined very early, and set out at once after dinner upon some country expedition. I took the tAVO girls to the choir practice at six every Saturday evening, and thence accompanied them back to the school. The organist had made it his custom to escort ns from the church on this latter walk. I saw very plainly that he was fast losing his heart to one of my young friends, but, I confess, 1 found it impossible to decide positively as to Avhich of them was proving the attraction ; and I believe that I was not the only person who considered over this question. Fenella ahvays spoke of Louis by the title of her ‘ particular friend and she was continually quoting speeches to us, from his lips, Avhich certainly, as she deliveredjthem, appeared to have been said with a tender meaning. But then we both knew she was apt to see things as she wished them to be, rather than as they were exactly. NeA rertheless, it Avas a matter of fact that our musical professor talked more to her than I had ever knoAvn him do to anyone else. Frances and he rarely conversed together, and in his absence she never mentioned him ; but if he were suddenly spoken of before her I noticed that she blushed and grew confused. She Avas always rather inclined to silence, hut on our Saturday evening walks she noAV rarely uttered a word. Her face Avoro a meditatiA T e air at such times, and her gentle, wistful eyes were sometimes turned Avith a puzzled and questioning expression upon Louis and her sister, when Fenella, according to her Avont, was trying to rouse her companion into a humor for exchanging lively badinage Avith her. As Ave all grew more and more intimate, she was often successful in these attempts, for our friend no longer the gloomy and moody man he had been. My husband and I rejoiced over the change in him. He carried himself iioav Avith a more erect carriage, and Avalked Avith a firmer, more elastic tread than before ; and at this time he breathed into his voluntaries a sort of triumphal tone, very different from the pathetic sadness they had formerly expressed. ‘ He has given us one of Batiste’s Andantes as if it were a wedding march, or a Christmas carol,’ I said to Frances,, after service one Sunday, while avc exchanged greetings in the church porch. She practised instrumental music diligently in those days; and once, Avhen Mr Carter rewarded some modest performance of hers with an emphatic ‘ Well done,’ I saw such a tender, happy smile brighten her fair face ! It Avas tAvo o’clock on Saturday Avhen the girls arrived at the College. The boys, as usual, bad all dispersed, and Ave turned into the drawing-room, before going upstairs, to discuss the respective merits of tAvo photographs Frances had just had done, and Avhich she had brought me to choose from. One showed her full face, —the other gave a profile view of the lovely, refined features. Both were so pretty that I found it difficult to make a selection between them. I put them back, at last, into their envelope, Avhich I laid upon the table, and proposed that I should defer my decision until later. We were all very merry that day, and we Avalked up the wide, old-fashioned oak staircase three abreast, laughing and talking as we Avent, and having our arms linked together. We all three greAv deep in discussion over a book avo were reading, and this made us linger upstairs even longer than we need have done. Thus in twenty minutes, or perhaps even half an hour, before avc descended. Our surprise was therefore great at finding the draAving-room tenanted by Louis Carter. He stood up as avc Avent in, looking, I thought, strangely flushed and confused. Louis told us that he had got a holiday from bank work on this occasion, as he had not been quite well all the morning. He had called to offer us tickets for a concert to be held that evening in the toAvn hall. When he arrived the maid had showed him in here, saying we should be down immediately. We were much pleased at the idea of the evening’s entertainment, but I said Ave must walk back to the Academy and ask permission to enjoy ourselves before we definitely arranged to go. Fenella was in exuberant spirits. She danced about the room with delight, laying doAvn a programme of our proceedings as she went, ‘ High tea at four,’ she said ; ‘ then a journey to the school, to ask leave of Mother Crooke. After that the choir practice ; and, to crown all. a concert. Were ever school girls so fortunate as Ave?’ She paused in her tour of ecstasy before the round table, and began Leaping the books one upon another. The day Avas a A r ery busy one —so busy that I never, during its course, recollected the photographs I Avas to choose betAveen. The girls Avere equally forgetful, for our minds Avere engrossed with other matters up to the moment of parting. I did not go in search of the photographs until the folloAving evening. To ray surprise and indignation, [ found that there Avas no longer a choice left to me. The profile likeness alone remained in the envelope which had contained the tAVO. I could only, at the moment, conclude that some of the boys had been rummaging in the place, and that they had been unable to resist the temptation of securing so great a prize. If this was the case, hoAvever, I wondered that both photographs had not been taken. I called my husband into the room and consulted with him. His suspicions went in the same direction as mine, and yet Ave neither of us liked to ask questions or to make inquiries upon the subject, lest there might possibly be some mistake.

I was much provoked at the loss, and still more vexed with myself for carelessly leaving the photographs tossing about. I began to turn over the books, in the vain hope that one of the likenesses had fallen between them, Avhen a sudden thought Hashed across my mind. ‘ I have it!’ I exclaimed, joyfully. My husband was sitting by the fire. ‘ I felt sure it would turn up,’ he said, in a relieved tone. (To be continued .)