LITERATURE

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1268, 11 April 1878, Page 3

LITERATURE

CAROM EL’S FARM. BY JOHNNY LUDLOW. ( Continued .) The weeks went on Autumn weather came in. Mrs Caromel found a place to suit her at Kempsey—*>ne of the prettiest of the. villages that lie under the wing of Worcester. ■''he bought it; and remov d to it with her private goods and chattels. Nash, even now, made u > haste to quit the lawyer’s house for his own. v ome said it was he who could not tear himself away from Charlotte ; othe s sa ; d M’ss Charlotte would not le r him go ; that she held him fast by a silken cord. Anyhow, they were always together, out of doors and in ; she seemed to like to parade their friendship before the world, as some girls like to lead about a pet monkey, Perhaps Nash first took 'o her from her name being the same as his wife’s. One day Nash walked over to the Manor and had a long talk in private with the Squire. lie wanted to borrow twelve hundred pounds. No ready mon.ey had come to him from his brother, and it was not a favorable time for selling produce. The Squire cheerfully agreed to lend it him : there was no risk. ‘ But I’d counsel you to remember one thing, Nash Caromel - that you have a wife,’ said he, as they came out of the room when Nash was going away. * It’** time you leP off dallying with that other young woman.’ Nash laughed a laugh that had an uneasy sound in it. ‘ It is nothing, Todhetley. ’ ‘ Glad to hear you say so ’ said the Pater. ‘ She has the reputa'ion of being a dangerous dirt. You are not the first man she has entangled, if a 1! tales he true Get out of Nave’s house and into y nr own.’ ‘ I will,’ a quiesced Nash. Perhaps that was easi r said than done. It happened that the same evepiny I overheard a few words pass hetvroep, the lawyer and Nash. They were not obliged to apply to Miss Nave ; hut, the chances were that they 7 did. The squire sent me to Nave’s, when dinner was over, to take a note to Nash. Nave’s smart waiting-maid, in a muslin apron and cherry cap-stings, was standing at the door talking ami laughing with tome young men, under cover of the twilight. She was as fond of finery as her mistress ; perhaps as fond of sweethearts. ‘ Mr Caromel ? Yes, sir, he is at home. Please to walk in.’ Showing me to a sitting room on the lefthand si le of the passage-?- lawyer’s offices were on the right.—sko shut me in, and went, as I to toll Caromel. At the back of this room was the dining-room. J heard the rattle of glasses on the table through the unlatched folding doors, svnd next the rattle of voices. The lawye* and Nash were sitting over their ww*. * Vou must marry aaid Nave, concisely*. * I wish I cowlfh ■*' returned Nash ; and his wavering, irresolute tone was juat a contrast to other's keen one. ‘ I want to. Hut bow can I ? I’m heartily sorry.’ ‘And as sooir o.s, may be. You must. Attentions p.'fiu so, young ladies cannot be allowed, to end in smoke. And you will find her thousand pounds useful.’ ‘ B, *t how can 1, L say V cried Nash 1 ruefully, ; You how how impracticable it is —the impediment that exist:..’ ‘.Stuff and nonsense, Caron.,.! * When; thoe’s a will there’s a way. impediments only exist to be got eves/ * It would take a cunning man to get over the one that lies between me and her 1 assume, you, and you may know I say it in nil good faith, that 1 should ask nothing better than to be a free man tovmorrnw —for this one solo cause.’ ‘ Leave things to mo. For all you know, you are free now.’ The opening of their door by the maid, who had, taken her own time to do it, and announcement that I waited to see Mr Caromel, stopped the Nash came in, and I gave him the n te ‘Wants to see me before twelve tToCWiJoWj does he ?—something he forgot to

sav,’ cried he, running his eyes over it. ‘Tell the Squire I will be there, Johnny.’ Caramel was very bu-y after that, getting into his h aise for he took the Squire’s advice and did not linger much longer at Nave’s And I think two or three weeks only had passed, aft-r he was in it, when news reached him of his wife’s death. It came from his agent in New York, Abraham B. Wbitter, who had received the information from San Franch co. Mr Whitter enclosed, the Sin Francisco letters; one written to himself, the other (which was as yet not unsealed) to Nash Caromd We read them both : Nash hr ught them to the Squire before sending them to Mrs Tinkle—considerate as ever, he would not let her s e them until she had been prepared. dhe letters did not say mucd. Mrs Nash Caromel had gown weaker and weak r after Nash ie art-d from an Francisco for New \ o k, and finally sunk under low fever. A diary which she bad kept the last weeko of her lie, meant only for his own eye, together with a few letters and sundry other personal trifles, would be forwarded the first opportunity to Abraham B Whifer and Co., who would hold the box at Mr Caromel’s disposal. ‘ Who is he, this Francis Munn that writes to you?’ asked the squire. ‘A friend of your wife’s ? —she appears to have died at his house.’ ‘A true friend T of hers and of mine,’answered Nash. *lt was with Mr and Mrs Munn that I left Charlotte, when I was obliged to go to .Sew York, She was not well enough to travel with me.’ ‘Well—look here aromei—don’t go and marry that other Charlotte,’ advised the squire. ‘ She is as different from your wife as chalk is from cheese. Poor thing !it wai a hard fate—dying over there away from everybody. But now—would anybody believe it ? instead of taking the squire’s advice and not marrying her at all, instead even of allowing a decent time to elapse, in less than a week Nash went to church with Charlotte the second. Shame, said fa s n Holland under his breath ; shame, said the parish aloud; but Nash Caromel heeded them not. We only knew it was to be, the day before the wedding. On Wednesday morning, a fine, crisp, October day, a shooting party was to meet at old Appleton’s, who lived over beyond Church Hykely. The squire and Tod started for it after an early breakfast, and they let me go part of the way with them. Just after passing Caromel’s Farm, we met Pettipher the postman. ‘Anything for the Manor?’ asked the pater. * Ves, sir,’ answered the man ; and diving into his bundle, he handed a letter. ‘This is not mine,’ said the squire, looking at the address ; * this is for Mr Caromel. ’ ‘ Oh ! I beg your pardon, sir ; I took out the wrong letter. This is yours,’ ‘ hat a thin letter ?—come from foreign parts,' remarked the pater, reading the address, ‘ Nash C iromel, Esq ’ ‘ I seem to know the handwriting; fancy I’ve seen it before. Here, take it, Pettipher.’ In passing the letter to Pettipher, I looked at the said writing Very small, poor writing indeed, with long angular tails to the letters up and down, especially the capitals. '(he squire handed me his gnn and was turning to walk on, opening hia letter as he did so; when Pettipher spoke and arr t-ted him. ‘ Have you heard what’s coming off yonder, to-morrow, sir ?’ asked he, pointing with his thumb to Caromel’s Farm. ‘Why no,’ said the squire, wondering what Pettipher meant to be at, ‘ What should be coming off T ‘ Mr Caromel’a going to bring a wife homo. Leastways, going to get married.’ ‘ I don’t believe it,’ burst forth the pater, after staring angrily at the man. ‘ You’d better take care what you say, Pettipher.’ ‘ But it’s true, sir,’ reasoned Pettipher, ‘ though it’s not generally known. My neice is apprentice to Mrs King, the dressmaker, as perhaps you know, sir, and they are making Miss Nave’s wedding-dress and bonnet. They are to be married quite early, sir, nine o’clock, before folks are about. Well yes, sir, it is not seemly, seeing he has but now heard of his wire’s death, poor Miss Charlotte Tinkle, they grew up among us—but you’ll hud it’s true.’ Whether the square gave more hot words to Nash Caromel, or to Charlotte the Second, or to Pettipher for telling it, I can’t say now. Pettipher touched his hat, said good morning, and turned up the avenue to Caromel’s Farm, to leave the letter for Nash ITo hr continued.)