LITERATURE

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 896, 9 May 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE

THE JILT. [by ciiarlks reade.] Caapter I. (Continued.) ' You need not say that. Say you arc cousin to the First Lord, and then stop ; that is the way to talk to a Major ; la, look at me, telling him what to say—as if I cared. There now—here comes that tittling-tattling Mrs Dodsley, and h' r whole brood of children and nurses; she shan't see what I am doing :' and Miss Ap Rice marched swiftly into Meilin's Cave, settled her skirts, and sat down on a stone. ' Oh! ' said she, with no great appearance of agitation, 'what a goose I must be I This is the last place I ought to have come to; this is where the lovers interchange their vows—the silly things.' This artless speech,—if artless it was, — brought the man on his knees to her, with such an outburst of honest passion and eloquent love, that her cooler nature was moved, as it had never been before. She was half frightened; but flattered, and touched : she shed a tear or two, and, though she drew away the han 1 he was mumbling, and said he oughtn't, and he mustn't, there was nothing very discouraging in her way, not even when she stopped her ears, and said, ' v uu should say all this to papa ' As if cm; could make as hot love to the Mayor, in his study, as to the Mayor's daughter in Merlin's Cave !•••■■•

! She was coy, and would not stay long in Merlin's Cave, after this ; but said nothing about going home ; so they emerged from the cave, and strolled towards Giltar Point. Suddenly there issued from the Sound, and burst upou their sight, a beautiful yacht, 150 tons, or so, cutter rigged, bowling along before the wind 13 knots an hour, sails white as snow, and well set, hull low and shapdy, wire rigging so slim it seemed of whip-cord or mermaid's hair. ' Oh, Arthur !' cried Ellen. « What a beauty.' 'And so she is,'said he heartily, 'Bless you for calling me "Arthur." ' *lt slipped out; by mistake. Come to the Castle Hill. I must see her come ris*ht in—Arthur.' Arthur took Eden's hand, and they hurried to the Castle Hill ; and, as they went, kept turning their heads to watch the yacht's manoeuvres ; for a sailor never tires of ob serving how this or that craft is handled ; and the arrival of a first class yacht in those fair, but uneventful, waters, was very exciting to Ellen Ap Rice. The cutter gave St. Catherine's rock a wide berth, and ran out well to the W<iolhouse reef; then hauled up and stool on the port tack, heading for her anchorage; but an eddy-wind from the IN orth cliffs caught her, and she broke off; so she stood on towards Monkstone point, then came about with her berth well under her lee, mistress of the situation, as landsmen say. Arthur kept explaining her maceuvres, and the necessity for them, and, when she came about, said she was well-behaved, —had forereached five times her length,—and was smartly handled too. ' Oh, yes !' said Ellen ; ' a most skilful captain, evidently. This was too hasty a conclusion for the sober Greaves. ' Wait till we see him in a cyclone, with all his canvas on that one stick, or working off a lee shore in a nor'weater. But he can handle a cutter in fair weather, and fresh water, that is cortain,' ' Fresh water 1' said Ellen. * How dare you ? And don't mock people. I ran't get enough fr« sh water in Tenby to wash my hands.'

' What, do you want them whiter than snow ?' said Greaves, gloating on them undisguised. ' Arthur, behave, and lend me the glass. ' There, dearest.'

So then she inspected the vessel, and he inspected the white hand that held the glass, It was a binocular; for every seaman, now-a-days, seldom use the short telescope of other days; what might be called a very powerful opera-glass has taken its place. ' Goodness me!' screamed Ellen. The construction of which sentence is referred to pedagogues. ' What is the matter ?'

' The captain is a blackamoor.' Having satisfied herself of the revolting fact by continued inspection, she handed the glass to Greaves. ' See if he isn't,' said she.

Greaves looked through the glass, and took leave to contradict her. 'Blackamoor ! not he. It is a gentleman that ought to know better—with a beastly black beard right down to his waist-band.' ' Oh, Arthur, how hurrid ! and in such a pretty ship.' Greaves smiled indulgently at her caliing a cutter a 'ship,' but her blunders were beauties ; he was s-o in love with her.

She took the glass again, and looked and ( ; talked at the same time. ' I wonder what j has brought him in here. ' To look for a barber, I should hope.' * Arthur —suppose we were to send out the new hairdresser to him. Would it not be fun? Oh ! oh!— oh!' ' What is it now ?' ' A boat going out to him. Well, I declare —a boatful of dignitaries.' ' Mercy on us !' ' Yes ; I see Papa—and I see the Secretary of the Cambrian Club—and another gentleman—a deputation Ido believe. No, how stupid I am. Why, the new arrival must be Mr Laxton, that wrote and told papa he was coming ; he is the son of au old friend, a ship builder. Papa is sure to ask him to dinner ; and I ask you. Do come. He will be quite a lion.

'I am very unfortunate Can't possibly come to-day. Got to dine on board the Warrior, and meet the Prince ; name down; no getting off.' ' Oh, what a pity ! It would have been so nice ; you and Captain Laxton together.' ' Optain Laxton? Who is he?' ' Why, the gentleman with the beard.' ' Hang it all, don't call him a Caitain.'

' Nut, when in- has a ship of his own V

' ?o hns a co'li.'r, and the master of a fish ing lugger. Besides, these swells are only fair weather skippers ; there's always a sailinp, master aboard their vessels, that takes the command, if it blows a capful of wind.' ' Indeed ! then I despise iiames. But I am sorry you can't come, Arthur.' ' Are you really, love V ' You know Lam.' • Then that is all I care for. A dandy yachtsman is a lion to me.' . * We ought, to go home nbw,'. araid Ellen, ' or we shall not have time to dress.'

He had not only to dress, but to drive ten miles ; yet he went with her to her very door, lie put the time to profit; he got her to promise everything, short of marry him without papa's consent, and, as she was her father's darling, and in reality ruled him, not he her, that obstacle did not seem unsurmountable. # * « * That evening the master of the yacht dined at the Mayor's, and was the lion of the evening. His face was rather handsome, what one could see of it, and his beard manly. He had travelled, and cruised, for years, and kept his eyes and ears open ; had a great flow of words, quite a turn for a narrative, a ready wit, a seductive voice, and an infectious laugh. His only drawback was a restless eye. Even that he put to a good use, by being at entive to every - bedy in turn. He was evidently charmed with Ellen Ap Rice, but showed it in a wellbred wav, and did not alarm her; she was a lovely girl, and accustomed to be openly admired, Next day, Arthur called on her, and seemed sorry to have had any pleasures he had not a share in. 'He made himself wonderfully agreeable," said she, 'especially to papa, and. oh, if you had seen how his beard wagged when he laughed, ha I ha! and, what do you think, the "Cambrians" have lost no time ; they have lv t !n'm flyinsj, invited him to their Bachelor's Ball; ah, arthur the first time you and I ever danced together was at that ball, a year figo ; I wonder whether you remember ? Well, he as ed me for the fir-t r und dance.' ' Confound his impudence ! What did you aay?' ' I said "no"; I was engaged to the Royal Navy.' ' Dear girl ! And that shut him up, I hope.' ' Dear me, no. He is too good humored to be cross because a strange girl was bespoke before he came ; he just laughed, and asked might he follow in its wake.' • And you said "yes " (To he conthived.) An. Persons of Intelligence are aware or should be, in this century of enlightenment, that the. best vehicle for diffusing the tonic properties of any medicinal preparation throughout the system is a pure, wholesome spirit. The presence of distilled spirit in an invigorant, provided it be pure, is considered by physicians to greatly promote the operation of the remedial principles in combination with it. This is one reason -why medical men so strongly recommend TJdolpuo Wolfe's Schiedam Aromatic Schnapps as a remedy for debility.—[Adv.]