LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 897, 10 May 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE.

* THE JILT. fBV CHARLES READE.] Chapter I. ( Continued .) ‘ IS 1 o, I do not, now. And you need not look so cross, for there would have been no harm, if I had ; but what I did say, was not “yes,” but “hum?” and I would consult my memoranda. Never you mind who I dance with, Mr Arthur; their name is legion. Wait till you catch me parading the sands with the creatures, and catching cold with them in Merlin’s Cave.’ ‘ My own love ! Come on the sands, now ; it is low water, and a glorous day.’ ‘You dear goose,’ said Ellen. ‘What, ask a lady out when it is only one clear day before the ball? Why, I am invisible to every creature but you at this moment, and even yon can only stay till she comes.’ ‘ She ? Who T ‘ Why, the dressmaker, to be sure. Talk of the—dressmaker, and there’s her knock. ’ * Must I go this moment ? ’ ‘ Oh no. Let them open the door to her first. But of course it is no use your staying whilst she is here. We shall be hovirs and hours, making up our minds. Besides, we shall be upstair?, trying on things. Arthur, don’t look so. Why the ball will be bet e with awful rapidity; and I’ll dance with y iii three times out of four ; I’ll dance you down on the floor, my ssilor bold. 1 never knew a Welsh girl yet couldn’t dance an Englishman into a cocked hat; now that’s vulgar. ’ ‘Not as you sneak it, love. Whateve comes from your lips is poetry. I wish you could dance me into a cocked hat and two eqaulettes; for it is not in nature, nor reason, you should ever marry a lieutenant.’ ‘ It will be his fault if 1 don’t, then.’ The door was rattled discreetly, and then opened, by old Dewar, butler, footman, and chatterbox of the establishment. ‘ The dressmaker, Miss.’ ‘ Well, let Agues take her upstairs.’ ‘ Yes, Miss.’ Greaves though it was mere selfishness to stay any longer now ; so he bade her goodbye ’ But she would not let him go away sad. She tried to console him, ‘Surely,’ said she, ‘you would wish me to look well, in public. It is the ball at Tenby I want you to be proud of your prize, and not find yon have captured a dowdy.’ The woman of society, and her reasons, failed to comfort Lieutenant Greavet; so then, as she was not a girl to acce t defeat, she tried the woman of nature; she came nearer him, and aid, earnestly, ‘ Only one day, Arthur ! Spare me the pain of seeing you look unhappy.’ hi saying this, very tenderly, she laid her hand softly on hL arm, and turned her lovely face and two beautiful eyis full up to him. A sweet inarticulate sound ensued, and he did spare her the pain of seeing him look unhappy ; for he went off, Hushed, ami with very sparkling eyes. Surely female logic has been underrated, up to the date of this writing. Greaves went away, the happiest lieutenant in the Royal Navy ; and content to kill time till the ball day. He dined at the club ; smoked a cigar on the Cast ebill, and entered his lodgings juat as the London day mail was delivered. There was a paper parallelogram for him, with a seal as big as the face of a chronometer. Order from the Admiralty to join the Redoubtable at Portsmouth—for disposal. Private note, by the secretary, advising him to lose no time ; as he might be appointed Hag lieutenant to the Centaur, admiral ship on the China station, from which quick promotion was sure to follow in the ordinary course of the service. Before he knew Ellen Ap Rice, his heart would have bounded with exultation at this bright prospect; but now that heart seemed cut in two ; one half glowed with ambition, the other sickened at the very thought of leaving Ellen, half won. But those who serve the nation may doubt and fear, but have parted with the right to vacillate. There was but one thing to do start for Loudon by 'he fast train next morning at 10 a.m. He sent a hurried note to Ellen, by messenger, telling her what had occurred, and imp! ring an interview. His messenger brought him back a prompt reply. Papa was going to Cardiff, in the morning, on business; would breakfast at half-past eight precisely". He must invite himself to breakfast, that night, and come at eight. He did so, and Ellen came down directly, with the tear in her eye. They comforted each other, agreed to look on it as a sure step to a creditable union, and, meantime, lighten the separation by a quick lire of letters. He would wrre from every port he landed in ; and would have a letter for every homeward bound ship they brought to. out at sea, and she would greet him wich a letter at every port. When they had duly sealed this compact, the Mayor came in, and that kept them both within bounds. But Greaves’s prospect of promotion was discussed, and the Mayor showed a paternal interest, and said, ‘ Come back to Tenby a captain and we shall all bo proud of you, shall we not, Nelly ? ’ When a father says so much as that to a young fellow, who has been openly '-ourting his daughter, it hardly b< ars two meanings ; and >1 reaves went away, brave and buoyant, and the sting taken out of the inopportune parting. He was soon at Portsmouth, and aboard the ‘Redoubtable.’ He was appointed flag lieutenant on board the ‘Centaur,’ then lying at Spithead, bound ou a two years’ voyage. Under peculiar circumstances she was to touch at Lisbon, Madeira, and the Cape; but her destination was Houg-Kong, where she was to lie for some time in command of the station. Next morning, a letter from Ellen ; he kissed it devotedly, before he opened it after some kind thing, that were balm to him, she somed to gravitate towards that great event in a girl’s life, the ball. ‘ 1 did so miss you, dear; and that impudent Mr Laxton had the first dance—for of course! never thought of putting anybody iu youi place ; but he would not give up the second, any more tor that. He said I had promised. Oh, and he asked me if I would honour th* yacht with my presence, and he would take me on a cruise round Sunday Island. 1 said ‘No; I was a bad sailor.’ ‘Oh,’said E ‘we will will wait for a soldiers wind What is ‘a soldier’s wind ?’ A ben I would not he got papa, by himself, and papa consented directly for both of us. I

cannot bear such impudent men, that will not take a ‘no.’ Arthur wrote back very affectionately, but made a po : nt of her not sailing i Laxton’s yacht. It was not proper, nor prudent The wind might fall; the yacht be <ut all night; and, in any case, the man was a stranger, of whom trey knew nothi g, but that his appearance was wild and disreputable, and that he was a mere cruiser, and a man of pleasure. He hoped his Ellen would make tnis little sacrifice to his feelings. This was his one remonstrance. Ellen replied to it. ‘ You dear, jealous goose, did you think I would go on board his yacht, the only lady ? Of course there was a large party ; and you have seen the Miss Frumps, and that Agues Barker, how they hung th mselves at his head, it was disgusting. But don’t you worry about tne man dear. lams ny I told you. We were back to d nner.’ Then the fair writer went off to other things ; but there was a postscript: ‘ Captain Laxton has just ca led to bid good, bye, and lis beautiful yacht is just sailing out of the road ’ As what lift! •- interest there is in th's part of the story centres in M:ss Ap Rise's let er-, 1 will just say that Oreaves had one from her at Lisbon, which gave him ummxed pleasure, it was long, and kind, thou gn not ■ o g-y as usual As for tins Laxtou, he app ared to have faded out entirely, for she never mentioned his name. At Madeira Oreaves received a letter, shorter and in re sprightly. In a postscript ■he said ; ' Who do you think has taken down from the clouds? That Mr Laxion, without his yacht. We a-ked him what had become of her. “Condemned,” said he, solemnly, “In the Levant a '■ reek brig outsailed her ; in the Channel h ;re. a French lugger lay nearer the wind, --fterthat, no moie cutters for me.” We think he is a lithe cracked. That odious Agues Barker will not let him alone. I never siw such a shaauless Hi it.’ (To ho continued.)