LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1041, 26 October 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE.

TWELVE O'CLOCK, NOON. It is almost useless to tell you the story, because I know you will not believe it. I have not alluded to the circumstances for the last twenty years, and I quite intended never to speak of them again ; but our conversation has taken such an extrordinary turn that I will tell you the story exactly as the event happened to me; and my only stipulation is that when you have heard it, you will make no comment. I don't ask you to believe it, because I know that ninety-nine people out of a hundred never would ; but whatever you may think, I will tell you truly and conscientiously what occurred. It is more easy to say that a period of twenty years has elapsed in a novel than it is to recall the same period to the memory in real life. However, twenty years ago I was a very young man. Pike most young men, I was hard up. I had just passed my final examination, and had been duly dubbed a lawyer and made a gentleman by Act of Parliament. One day, as I was anxiously reading the pages of the " Law Times," looking out for something to do, I came across an advertisement, setting forth in glowing language the fact that, in a country markettown, within about thirty miles from London, there was a small lawyer's practice (capable of great extension by an energetic young man, the advertisement averred) which was to be sold for a mere trifle. In those days I had greater confidence in my own abilities than I have at present, and the perusal of this ' legal fiction' (for I can call it nothing else) fired my young imagination. I saw myself installed in a cbeerful and busi ness-like office, overlooking a quaint oldfashioned street, and shaded by tall trees growing at the back of the house. I imagined myself as the registrar of the County Court, and the receptacle of the family secrets of £.ll the farmers for miles round. I said to myself that I was not ambitious, that I cared little for the worry and anxiety of the busy town. A quiet useful country life, the esteemed friend of the rector, and the husband of a loving wife—these were my desires, and they all seemed to me to be included within the six-line paragraph in the newspaper.

To hesitate was to lose the chance of a lifetime. ' There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune,' I remarked. Therefore I at once wrote to the address indicated in the advertisement. After a considerable amount of correspondence, I became the purchaser of the practice ; and after paying for it, found myself with five pounds hard cash, and thousands of pounds in imagination. I decided that it would be unwise to allow the grass to grow under my feet; and so, without losing any time, I packed up all my eartUy treasures (which I found would easily go within the compass of my portmanteau), and started from the Loudon terminus for my destinat on In about half an hour I arrived at a prettylooking country station, where 1 alighted, and, taking advantage of a ruin of a 'bus which was drawn by a wheezy and lowspirited horse, I soon found myself in the middle of the town of H . I imm< diat< ly went io tne lodgings I had previously secured ; and after being delighted with their cleanliness and neatness, I sallied forth t > inspect my office. In a few minutes I arrived at the place, and was ushered into my premises by a very young and lighthaired clerk, who kindly gave up his pastime of sliding down the banisters, in order to show me over the offices. Here, too, everything looked clean and business-like, and the number of bundles and papers ostentatiously displayed all over the office filled me with bright pictures of the future. Having completed my survey, I went to see the town. Here, at least, my visions were fulfilled. The long straggling street planted with trees, and terminating in a large square filled with farmers' and agricultural implements, was almost exactly what I had imagined iu my daydreams. Turning down a quiet and narrow side street, I found myself in front of a splendid church, round which clustered old-fashioned cottages and houses. The town was everywhere inter spersed with trees, and the whole place, lighted up as it was by the warm glow of the setting sun, looked simply charming. The next day was Sunday, so I went to church. The interior was no doubt quite equal to the exterior, which had impressed me so much on the previous evening ; but I did not notice it. The singing of the surplieed choir was, I daresay, excellent; but I did not join in it (although my voice was an excellent tenor at that time). The sermon was, I have little doubt, an excessively telling and practical one, but 1 did not listen to it; for, to tell you the truth, a great change had come over me since I arrived at H . I had fallen in love. She was sitting opposite to mo, dressed entirely in black. I cannot describe her to you, and I would not if I could, because whatever impression my words might convey to you, it would fall so short of the picture in my mind that I should hate myself for having slandered her to you. I don't mean to say, as they do in novels, that she was gloriously beautiful, or anything of that sort; but what I mean is that lu-r sweet pale face aud the /.-iaoefui outline of her figure so impressed me, and called up all the good feelings in my nature, that, without waiting to inquire what the deep craptshe wore meant, or whether her affections were in any way previously occupied, without the slightest hesitation, I gave her all my love. Ah, it'a .a long time ago ! (Have

another ghss of port, old man ; the nights diaw in now, and it's getting chilly.) Sitting at my dinner and thinking over the events of the morning, I came to th«conclusion that it was the duty of every man, and especially of a country lawyer, t« ! support the Church, ' as by law established ;' and accordingly, contiary to my usual custom, I again went to church in the evening. She was there. I forget the text. A fter service, as I had nothing particular to do, I —well, I don't know that it is worth while to beat about the bush for an expression—l followed her home. She knocked at a large and handsome house; and after she had been admitted by a man-servant, 1 casually walked past the door in an unconcerned manner, and noticed • Dr. Stanton' engraved on the plate. Then I turned in for the night; and the following day I settled down to work : but I grieve to say that the matter uppermost in my mind was how to obtain an introduction to Dr. Stanton. At length I accomplished this. I forget exactly how it was done ; but it is easy enough, as you know, in a country town. The doctor was a very agreeable man, and had a large practice ; and after a week or so of nodding and chatting about the weather, the crops, and the ministry, he asked me to dinner. Ido not wish to make a love-story of this, because my object in telling it is to prove to you that ' there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy,' and not to expose to you my own foolishness. Well, I went to dine with the doctoi, and was duly introduced to his niece, Clara Stanton. She was still in black, and ap peared low-spirited ; but she received me very kindly, and during the course of the evening we had a pleasant chat together. She was well read, not at all bashful, and fortunately, a 8 I happened to have just finished reading a book in which she was particularly interested, we began talking at once. Miss Stanton, I could see, was interested in the conversation, and brightened up considerably, so that on my leaving she expressed a wish that I would lend her the book we had been chatting about, which, as you may imagine, I was only too happy to do, especially as it made such a good excuse for calling again. The doctor was to all appearance very pleased, and hoped he would see me there often. I said I hoped he would.

As time went on, I discovered that Miss Stanton was an orphan, and had very little money of her own. The doctor was her guardian, and appeared excessively fond of her. I was a constant visitor at the house, and my love increased more and more each day. Clara always appeared pleased to see me, and by a thousand little ways showed an especial interest iu me. I was young then, and took all these ' signs of the times' iu a straightforward way, and thought that, even if she did not love me then, she was drifting that way. And so a year passed by. 1 was happy in my love, and I was young : and the Jove and the happiness were quite sufficient to counterbalance the anxiety that I suffered in another direction.

That business was a delusion and a snare. I was an energetic young man, but I did not extend the practice. Not that it was my fault; I should have extended the practice if there had been a practice to extend, but unfortunately there wasn't. The light-haired youth, who, 1 subsequently discovered, possessed the quality of lightness in his head and ringers as well as in his hair, gave me a most impressive arid solemn warning at the end of a week, and left me alone in my glory a month after my arrival. The papers turned out oa examination to be as deceptive as the youth. I grieve to expose the hollowness of mankind, but those papers were simply and emphatically dummies. Like conjuring tricks when you once knew them, 'there was nothing iu them.' And consequently my visions (as most pleasant visions do) faded away, and at the end of twelve mouths I found myself minus money, plus love.

I determined to put an end to this unsatisfactory etate of affairs one way or the other. Therefore one evening when I was alone with Clara I told her how I loved her. I know you can understand that it is painful even yet to recall these circumstances, and so I shall tell you nothing, but what is absolutely necessary to my story. Miss 5 tauton seemed almost bewildered when first ib dawned upon her that I wished her to be my wife; then, when she fully understood my meaning, iu a kind and yet firm manner she declinpd my proposals, adding that I had been a good friehd to her ever since we were first; acquainted, and she regretted that I had misconstrued actions, which she had intended merely as tokens of good will, into hopes that she could ever regard me with any warmer feeling than those of a friend. She told me (and I can remember to this day how her beauty and grief affected me) that she had for some years been engaged to be married to a young officer in the navy, but that he had recently been drowned during a heavy storm which his ship had encountered. She explained to me that he was the person for whom she always wore mourning, and in broken accents told me how she could never love another. After this I could of course say nothing further ; and upon apologising for my want of thought in not first ascertainiag how it was she always appeared in black, I left her with feelings, thank Heaven, one does not often experience. Miss Stanton's refusal of my offer, coupled with the extremely discouraging nature of my business, induced me to make up my micid to leave H without any delay. The business was not worth anything, and so I had no trouble on my miud as regards disposing of it. One morning, a few days after tho event I have just related, I was settling up a few odd fhiugs in the otlice previous to my departure, when Dr Stanton was announced He entered, and seeing the nature of my preparations, he said, f ' Why, you don't mean to say you are going to leave us V ' Yis,' I answered, 'I am. The law is all very well, but if you don't have any of the profits to counterbalance its proverbial delay, you fare rather badly. I've given this place a fair trial for twelve months. I don't particularly care about the business. I have gained a good experience by the affair, and at twenty-four one need not be downhearted. 1 don't mind about the business.' ' Theii what do you mind about!' inquired the doctor ; ' for it is easy to see by your manner that there ia something the matter with you.' I cuuld not deny it; and as I felt horribly downhearted and troubled, I made a clean breast and told the doctor all about it. (To be Continued.)