LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1592, 27 March 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

HAROLD RIVERS. (■“AH the Year Round.”] Continued. CHAITfcR VII. It was not till after the candles were s’ghted nest evening that Mr and Mrs Imray saw anything more of Emilia. When they did see her, they could not help noticing how pale and worn she looked t but. neither of them spoke of it. Both of them suspected that she was more interested in the story of George Hernshaw’s death than she had cared to admit; but they received her as if nothing was the matter. It was not till it was nearly time to say good-night that the topic of the previous evening was referred to in any way. At length Emilia said; ‘You muss have thought me very rude last evening, Mr Imray, to run away so abruptly ; but really your narrative was almost too much for ray nerves. Then leaving you while you were in such a dreadful predicament! That was worse than all. But you will forgive me, will you not, and tell me how you managed to escape—for of course you did escape?’ ‘ Oh, our escape was a very unromantic one,’ said Imray. ‘ I wish I could give you an account of some thrilling adventures on a raft, or tell ycu how we were taken off the sinking ship by pirates ; but my will-known r. gard for truth compels me to stick to uncompromising facts. To make a long story short, the two boats got sa'ely away from tne ship. In them were all the ladies and children, a few of toe male passengers, sufficient sailors to navgate them properly. They were picked up by a home ward-bound vessel about thirty hours after parting fr< m us, and conveyed to Liverpool The captain’s prediction with regard to tii6' Deohne was not borne out by facts else I should hot be heri* to day to tell you this too true ta’e. Water logged as sjie was, she fl ated for two days longer, at tne ettd Of which time an American barque answered Ottr signals of distress and took US off. The Daphne went down within four hours of the last man having her,’ ‘After such a narrow escape, Mr Imray, I wonder that yon ai e not afaid of ever venturing out of sight of land again.’ *lhe theory of probabilities teaches me that when a man has once run such » risk as I ran, he will never run another like it agaiff. It will be some other fellow’s turn next time. That being so, where’s the good of worrying ? ’ Emilia VrtS nerving herself in silence. There wa’ something 2'he wanted to say, but she was afraid that her voice vzotild betray the hidden anxiety underlying her wcVda. ‘ Do you think, Mr Imray, she raid at last, doing her best to speak slowly and steadily, ‘ that after this lapse of time there would be any possibility of ascert ining what became of the poor young creature’—her tongue shrank from the word ‘ wife ’— ‘ whom George Herushaw left behind him in the cabin ? ’

•you mean his wife?’ Fmilia made a movement as though something had stung her. ‘ Well, it is just possible that the owners, Messrs Collins and Lavis might be able to throw home light on her after-fate. Just possible, I say, but by no means probable. ’ ‘ WoSld vou mind, Mr Imray, doing me the great favor of writing to the gentlemen you have just named, ani ask them whether they can furnish you -f. ith any information by means of which the poor girl’s whereabouts might possibly be traced?’ 1 1 will do what I can for you in the matter, Mrs Warrener, with the greatest pleasure ; but I would not advise you to be very sanguine as to the result.’ After a little more conversation. Emilia said good-night and went. What Mr Imray had told her made 01-ar to her many points that had often troubled her greatly—points that had nothing to do with Harold Fivers’s share in the dark story She now understood why his mother and sister, through whom she had received the news of his death, and who had only given her a cold welcome during his life, had seemed to have so few particulars with which to satify her anxious questions —had teemed in fact as though they wished to speak of their mutual loss as little as possible In their wish to keep his memory sweet, they had hidden from her much that she ought to have been told. She now understood why the five hundred pounds which she had brought her husband on her wedding day was found after his death to have been all drawn out of the bank, although she had only known of his having had a small portion of it. He had taken it with him in his flight, h aving her almost pennil-ss. She now understood why so many debts, respecting which she knew nothing, should turn up against him after his death. She now understood why he was so anxious that she should not go down to Bristol to see him off. And yet this was the man wh'se image she _ had cherished in her heart as that of a demi god wh se heroic stature none other might reach ! This was the man whose loss she had never ceased to mourn with tears of the bitterest anguish, fee ing and believing that when she lost him the sunshine of her life was gone for ever! above all, this was he for whose sake she had cast behind her that other love —a love such as can come tone woman twice in a lifetime. Oh, blind, blind, blind ! In the course of about a week, Mr. Imiay received an answer to his letter from the owners of the Daphne Messrs Collins and Davis had been in communication with Mrs Hernstiaw immediately after her return to Plngland. Her address at that time was No, 5, Gleddow’s cottas, Foldgate, Hertfordshire ; but of her present whereabouts they knew nothing.

The morning fo’lowing the receipt of this information Emilia started for Foldgate leaving Daisy in charge of Mrs Imray, It was not without a certain degree of trepidation that she ventusd to knock at the door of No. 5, Gleddow’s Cottages. As no one answered the knock; she opened the door gent’y and looked in. What she ?aw was an old lady sitting on a low stool by the side of her spinning-wheel, and crooning to herself in a low monotone some old-world ditty which doubtless breathed sweet music in her memory. She was dressed in black, with a little co’oured shawl pinned across her shoulders. her head sh a wore a poke-bonnet of rnsty black silk, such as was fashionable about forty years ago. As Emilia stepped timidly into the cottage, the old dame rose slowly and dropped an old-fashioned courtesy. My name, lady, is Betsy Ditton; and I shall be eighty two come next fourth of December.’ «Pray sit down, Mrs Ditton. I hope you will pardon my intrusion when you hear the errand that has brought me here.’ ‘ I’ve a many ladies come to see me at times. Some come to read passages ; some come to pray ; and some to cheer me with a bit of talk. I like them best that come to talk. But I shouldn’t say that, because you’re mebbe the new curate’s lady, and have come to pray with me.’ ‘No indeed. I was never in Foldgate in my li f e before to-day.’ ‘ Very kind to me are the ladies, very kind indeed,’ continued the dame, without heeding Emilia’s disclaimer, and apparently addressing herself to her spinning • wheel. ‘ they mostly bring me an ounce or two of toi or a bit of snuff when they come to see me Very kind ind- ed.’ Emilia took out purse and laid half a sovereign on the table. ‘ I have brought you neither tea nor snuff,’ she said; ‘ but here is something that will buy you a little of both.’ ‘0 thank yon, kind lady, thank you much! The blessing of a poor lonely old w>>man be with you wherever you go ! Eighty-two come next fourth of December, Is it prayers or passages this morning kind lady ? ' ‘hi either one nor the other. I came to see you abouo —Mrs Hernshaw.’ 1 Oh, about my grandchild Carry. Why, poor Carry’s b e en dead and gone these two years. Father and mother dead too. Except her brother Barney, Carry was the only one left of seven.’ ‘ Dead I Mrs Ditton. I’m very sorry ini deed to hear that.

• Yes Carry always Was of a sickly growth f ar;d after that dreadful busmers of the wreck, she came to poor granny s, and closed her eyes in this very house • I knew Mr Hernsbaw very well, also his mother and sister, and that is the reason why I came here to-day about your granddaughter.’ ‘ And very kind it is of you, lady. ‘You icmembor Mr George Heruahaw, of course?’ ‘ls it likoly I could ever forget him! What laughing eyes ho bad, and what a plea : ant way with him, to be sure ! No wonder our Garry lost her heart to him. Their courting was short and sharp. Only two months from the day he first met her coming oat of a shop in Tot’n’am Court road till the day he married her !’ ‘ They were going abroad, were they not, when ho met with his death V t ‘Yes. George bad some money, and it was agreed they should emigrate Co was sick and tired of England, he said. After his death, between four and five hundred pounds were found in the poor lad’s pocketbook. This was given to Carry softer a time by the people at Bristol; but not till she had let them see her marriage lines. There now, ladv, if you haven’t gone and split one of your gloves right across! And uuch pretty ones as they were !’ ‘ Never mind the gloves, Mrs Ditton. 1 want to hear about your grand-daughter,’ ‘ Thank you kindly mum. Well the money did ua very little good. First one said do this with it; then another said do that. I wanted to buy a little shop; but Harry had her notions, and wanted to be a lady; so she Was persuaded to buy some shares. What they Were in, I don’t know, hut they were to bring in a lot of money. But something happened about sil months after, and a'l the money was lost, and we never got a penny. It’s enough to make one shake in one’s shoes to think what rogues there a e in the world that never come to the gallows ! ’ • And this was the end of poor papa’s five hundred pounds! ’ thought Emilia bitterly. ‘The end of the little fortune that he scraped and saved up through many weary years, so that his daughter should not be portionless when she married.’ ‘ And lie mum, when we lost out bit of money, if a c rtrtin good friend hadn’t come forward we shouldn't have known what to do Perhaps lady, you would like to see poor George’s likeness ? I ’ve got it in the next room.’ ‘ I should like to see it very much indeed, answered Emilia with hardly concealed emotion. (To be Continued.)