LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1033, 17 October 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE.

CROSS PURPOSES. ( Continued) ' I love my love with a 0 because phe is cand : d ; I hate her with a C because she is capricious,' says Mrs Ley ton archly. ' Am 1 warm, or will you still cry cold? If you do the latter, 1 doubt you will be wronging your conscience. Ah, frank, I think i am one too nvmy for you I' ' You were always that. What one man is equal to any woman? Well a 3 you have guessed to f*r I believe I inav as weil tell •\ ou the rest ;' -nil fort : with he romniencts to p ur fortli a tale the telling of which had caused Cissy su.h exquisite angu'sh. When he ha* finished. Mrs I eytou says' ' 1' y n will take my .-.dvice, you will seek the first opportunity t'at offers, and ask for an explanation of her coldurs-.' 'You really 'dink that the bes>; thing to do!' says Ha'Kett, brightening 'i *il act upon your advice, th n and try my chance. Now let u* forget it fir the pre sent Is that a new ring upon your ing.r? May I look at it? Do s it mark afresh adorer ?' * No ; an old ono. tieoffry Hyde give it to me last .autumn.' She surrenders her hand to him as she speaks ; and he bending over it, examines leisurely the cluster or brilliants that scintillate and flash beneah ,h lamp-light. ' llrj has been faithful to you for a long time.' says Halkett presently. ' Ye-i; he is very tormenting. I nally believe I shall have to marry in the longrun, if ' nly to get him out of the way.' Mhe reddens a little as she says this, and la - ghs ather nervously. ' Are you serious ?' asks with surpris . ' Then you are going to make him a hvpy man afte* all ?' 'That remains to be proved. Probably I shall make him a wholesome warning t> a 1 obstinate men; But 1 think when .last 1

Haw him I made some foolish promise about him in the spriug.' ' I congratulate him with all mv heart, and you too,' says Halkett cordially, '1 think he is the only mao. I know quite worthy of you.' Wh<Ti t»se hour comes for bedroom caidles to be adjusted, Halkett seizes one, lights it, and carries it solemnly to Miss Mordaunt. iut quick as he has been, Major Biake reaches her side similarly aimed, almost at the same moment. ' Which shall I take ?' says Miss Cissy gaily. ' J suppose I can have my choice. I think this pleases me most ;' and she holds out her liand towards Blake with a pretty smile. 'Thank you,' the continues, slipping her s]end t lingers into his brown palm ; 'and good-night. Don't smoke too much ;' and with a little prov< kng backward n d she trips away, with iut b- stowing so much as one poor glance up >n Halkett. An! so ends his fist attempt; at an explanation, leaving hiui so indignant that he almost vows he will not sc k an tber.

All the following day Miss Mordaunt studious y a oids him. giving him no chance of obtaining the tete-a-t te sha sees is impending But Halkett calmly bides hi time, knowing it cannon be far distant. As day lifctht fades, he feels more than ever determine I to bring her to book before the dawn of another morning ; and in this instance at least the Fates favor hi n, as the'e is to be a large dancing p-irty »t the Hall to night. She cannot well re f use to give him one dance but of the many such palpable avoidance would be rath-.r too marked; and once he has secund her as his par ner, bhe mast be -t his mei\y until the danoe c>mes to an end. This idea of course has also occurred to Miss Mordauut, and though dreading the interview, she is still sufficiently indignant to canse her to make up her mind to be as curt and u'spoken on the occasion as will he in strict keeping with her dignity. In this frame of miu-i she goes np-st;*\rs to dress, and being «n Irishwoman it cannot e a;together sai ■ but that she sustains a rather pleasurable sensation alb it one largely mingled with Bom-thing very much akin to nervousness as the ba>t e-hour draws nigh. 'What shall I wear, Kennedy?' she asks her maid, sinking languidly into a chair ' Well, miss, you know you look well in anything,' says Kennedy obligingly; ' there is notl ing lut what becomes y<.u; but if I might be allowed to suggest, you look lovely entirely in white.' ' 1 won t wear white ; I hate it,' says her mistress pettishly. ' ' 'ebutantes, and brides a r d corpses wear white ; I think—l shall wear black to night.' ' lilack ? ' 0 - ■ i>a v! ordaunt!' ' Yes ; cert 'inly. Is gay clothing so necessary to m*, ihen ?' ' Well, miss, theie's no doubt but >oulook real handsome in black; but the other ladies —they vili be so gay—and y u' ' I shall be gayer than any of them, and the gi eater contast!' cries > issy, springing to her feet. ' Come, Kennedy ; despatch, de>pa>ch ; I feel I shall hold my own yet.' And Kennedy, throwing herself heart and mi ad into her task, soon turns out the most cha-ming picture possible. As Miss Mordaunt enters the drawingroom she sees Halkett standing on the hear' hrug n earnest conversation with the widow, who, if there is a rir < anywhere, is never any great distance from it He has been telling her of hi« repu'se of the night before, and in looking somewhat dejected '.Never mind,'says Mrs Ley ton kindly ; ' get her alone; and you will have the advm age. I think she must have heard —or fancied something that wounds her.' ' I do not flatter myself so far ; I merely think she prefers Blake,, and wishes to get rid of me,' says Halkett gloom ly. 'N'on-ensel Let nothing induce yon to believe that. In the first place, she doesn't even look at the man in the right way.' Halkett laughs in spite of himself, and immediately afterwards becomes if possible even more despondent than before •H ow can she like that fellow Blake ?" he says ill-naturedly. '« h, I don't see that. For my part, I think him absolutely handsome.' •Of course, that goes without telling. All women have a tendresse for th<;se great coarse broad-shouldered men. And what an accent he has 1'

'Do yuu really dislike it ? To me, I confess ic is rather »lea*ant; mellow, with just a touch of the brogue. Your Cissy you must remember, has it <oo, win perhaps rather m *re of the me low and less of the brogue ; but th< n you are prejudiced against this po r 81.-ke.' ' Indeed f am not : y>u mistake me altogether I think him a downright good fellow. In fact I have a fancy f>r all Irishmen ; they are so full of go -chic—good humour, until crossed. And Biake is like all h s countrymen, a mo3t enjoyable com. panion,' says Halkett with suspicious warmth. 'Evidently Misß Mordaunt is of your opinion,' says the widow rather cruelly, pointing to where Oi*sy is listening with a smiling face to one of the major's good stories. Meanwhi'e the guests are arriving, and the tine old room that has been given up to the dancers is rapidly tiling with pretty g rls and powdered dowagers and men «.f all ages and degrees. I'apas too are numerous : but 'hese instinctively crowd round i/ucle ( harlt , arid by degrees edge t .wards a more dimly lighted mom, where instinct telis tnem, whist is holding silent sway. • Will you give me the Hrst -ance ? says Halkett to Mrs l eyton who readily grants here usent. M -jor HI ke has of course secured Ci>sy ; and presently, as ill-iuck Will luive it, t.iey tin.i themselves in the same ?et, dancing <ppos te to eajh o'her. As HaikeM.'s hand meets ' issy's, ho hardly let* hi* ringers close rur d hers ; and as silo is alsi in a revengeful m od, the ladies' chain aim st falls to ttie ground. Mrs Leyton, in spite of the good nature that lies somewhere in her completion, neiriy ch jkea v in sup pres.-ed laughter as she witness* s this >itiu by play She twits Halkett about it later on, but he is moody, and doesn't take kindly to her wi tieisim. At least half the programme has been gone through before Captain Halkett asks Miss Mordaunt for the pleasure of a dance. 'lf I am disengaged,' she says c"ldly, not iookiug at him, and searches hrr cvrd with a languid bored air that tantalises him almost beyond endnauce. He is lmging to say: ' Never mind it; I won't interfere with your enjoyment at this time.' with his sweetest smile, and rage at his heart; but he is too ternly determined to have it out her >o night, to let his natural feelings win the day. (2b he continued.)