LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1853, 30 January 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

MAX CHALLONER'S FORTUNE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. [From •'Time."] By Edmund Yates. (Continued.) Mrs Grayson had been the Avians' only friend in adversity, so she thought, and certainly she was their only visitor. A widow of between forty and fifty years of age, with a comfortable independence, living in a cottage in the town, who prided herself a great deal upon her knowledge of the world, she considered it part of her daily duty to look in upon the poor shiftless Aylans, slowly but surely drifting into hopeless misery. She be'ieved herself to bo their benefactor as well as friend; and from being so frequently told so they had come to regard her as one, and to be not a little troubled at finding it so difficult to be grateful. They were beginning to feel quite guilty when day after day she entered with the accustomed wordß, ' Well, how many applications to-day, my dears V How delightful to ha able] now to reply, ' The rooms are let.' ' Let!' 'To

a goD tloman over au rlcft ; and he's going to pay five guineas a week,' ejaculated Lina. ' Five shil ings, you mean, child.' ' Noj it is really five guineas,' explained happy Winifred ; ' he made the offer himself. He said he wanted a quiet, out-of-the way place for study, and ours would just euit him.' * Five guineas ! My dear, you should have sent for me. The man is an imposter, of course. It; is quite certain he will never pay, to say nothing of—' ,' But he has paid already. A month's rent, in lieu of reference.' ' In —lieu—of—reference 7 That proves it. There is something to couoeal I Why, good gracious me! The man may be a—' * ffe mentioned his bankers,' put in Winifred, already a great deal more Inclined towards the stranger than to Mrs Grayson. ' By name ?' No ; Winifred was obliged to admit thtt their name h.-.d not been mentioned. Bis own Max. Mrs Grayson turned for a moment towards Mr Ay lan who, as his habit was,wai keeping up a running commentary upon the object he was examining. But where was the use of trying to nake him see the danger of taking a strange man without references into the bouse, when he only replied that it ' all depended upon the way in which he was marked.' bhe saw that the duty devolved upon her. As a friend of the family it was simply her duty to inquire into the matter, oost her what it might. With a few mysterious words to the effect that they might trust her to see after their interests, she hurriedly took her departure. Max Challoner was returning from his stroll, not very favorably impressed with Mud marsh, when a lady, coming from the opposite direction, drof ped her parasol just as they were passing. He picked it up and presentod it to her; and, after a word of thanks, she was walking on, when, as if the thought had suddenly occurred to her, she paused, and added, 'Pardon me ; but I think you must be the gentleman to whom my friends the Aylaas have let their apartments ?' He bowed aseerjt, regarding her as curiously aa she regarded him. So very fortunate for them, really! But doubtless he had been informed of their circumstances ? No; it appeared that they had told him nothing. Well, perhaps it was better that he Bhould hear it from a friend, since he would be sure to hear it. People were apt to be so unkind to the unfortunate- He glanced down into the mean narrow face, and thought how cruelly it maligned her _ if she were kind. Nevertheless, he was quite ready to hear what she had to say ; quiatly agreeing that the unfortunate did not find many friends. ' And they are that; Mr Aylan lost his own income through the failure of a bank ten years ago, and a rich brother of Mr Aylan's, who afterwards allowed them a couple of hundreds a year, had lately discontinued it; thi-y were now without means; possessing absolutely nothing, but the house and furniture, such as it was, and that would soon have to be sold; Mr Aylan had been brought up to no profession; and besides, he was so immersed m his craze that there was no hope of his doing anything ; therefore, Mr Max might suppose how pleased she was to hear ot his taking the rooms at bo liberal a rent ; for rest and quiet, she thought she had understood dear Winifred to say t' with a kean g'aice atjrij b'g frame and healthy looking sunbnrnf face. She got a polite bow acdmonosy labic reply, which meant what she pleased, ffe was quite aware that he was being questioned; but with his theory that people show themselves as much in the questions they put as in the answers they give, he did not object to that. She would have been not a little surprised could she have known the verdict which this frank pleasant epoken man was passing upon her ; when, having heard all she had to say. and to d her literally nothing in return, ho lifted his hat and bado her good morning. Had she compared notes with some of the shopkeepers in the town, she would have found that they had the same story to tell. Mr Max had in some way contrived to bear all that was to be heard respecting the Aylans._ Even old Hannah herself came under his influence, although she was a great deal more reservel. and, so to speak, more on the defensive than were others. His five guineas a week were all very well; but what were the Aylans and their doings to him P He had been three days at Marsh Hon ho without on«e again catching eight of the

lovely little mistivsa of the establishment. The house was preternatnraliy still ; ho did not guess that it was mora thin usually ko, the children creeping noiselessly about in consequence of his a-sertion thus he needed quiet. Moreover, Hannah executed hia orders with such promptitude and regularity ai to give him no shad >w of an excuse for 1 requesting to see her mistress. Bat it had to be compassed, and he at length cat the knot in his own fashion, by giving no reason at all, simply telling Hannah that he desired to see Mia 3 Aylan. In vain did she try to ind'ice bim to say what ha had to say to her, maki-g all sorts of excuses in J"er mistresses name. Ho merely bade her give his message, -he retired, murmuring to herself about some people's 'masterful ways,' but she took good caru that her worda should Eot reach his ears. She, like others at Marsh House, regarded him with a great deal of »we, as an autocrat whose slightest wish, they were biund to obey, coat them what it a few minutes came a he itating tap at the door, and the little hiusa mistress, vhose ima;:e had haunted him ever since their last interview, entered in her cap and apron and mittens. He placed a chair for her with gravedeferer.ee. 'I hope you wi'l psrdan my troubling you, Miss Aylan—T am addr Rsing Miss Aylan, am I net?' A not quite straightforward speech, considering That hia time for the last three days had ben mo tly employed in obtaining all the information that was to be hid s.bout her ' Yes, I am not married,' trying to speak in an elderly matter-of-course way, her heart j thumping against the little shawl. j

In her quaint out-of-date costume, her sweet faci flushed with a delicate rose tint, an* her beautiful eyea dilated with fear and anxiety, she looked even younger than she was. But he was careful to aopear as unobservant as he wai desirtd to be ' I—hope that—there la n .thing to complain of, Mr Max ? ' she nervously added, as bo seemed to be waiting for her to speak. * No, everything is done in a regnlar orderly way ; bnt —' trying a little diplomacy, 'to tell the truth, I find Mudmarth rather rnil.' She gr*w a shade whiter. He would gn, and all their good fortune with him ! ' You see,' he gently insinuated, 'I have no one to exchange a word with but Bannah ; one misses one's friend*, and—l do not even get my little accustomed chat with my landlady.' The 'chat' had in fact been all en one side, and of very limited dnration, Max Ohalloner not beiug the kind of man to chat, or be chatted to against his will. Her thoughts reversing to her one experience again, she recollected thai when Mrs Frist had come in for the morning's orders she had always remained some little time telling them the news. They had not found It amusing but if landladies a'ways did so, and he required it, of course she must do best. He certainly had a right to everything that other people had. ' I could come in for half an hour every morning, if that would do ?' she diffidently replied; 'or papa would be pleased to talk to you if you take any interest in his suhj-cts ; he is a naturalist, and does not care about anything else.' 'lam afraid entirely deficient in knowledge or taste of that kind,' he hastened to reply. She crossed her hands upon her lap with a little sigh ; her eyes turned towards the dreary marsh for inspiration 'We know so little about wbat goes on in Mudmarsh. We have always lived so retired, and generally take our walk* in the other direction. But,' with a juriden remembrance, 'we have one

friend living t!'ere. Yon met Mrs Griyson the other morning, did yon not, Mrs Max ? ' 'Yea ; bat I did not find her interesting, if yon will excuse my saying so of your friend ' She siught abont in her mind again. In vain not an amusing word Could Bhe find to say. Newspapers never came there, and she knew nothing outside the few old books which she read again and again. He would have been a little surprised to know what those books were. 'I suppose lam not adapted for enjoying ease, Miss Aylan,' he presently -went on, venturing to steal a longer lo k at the sweet face, now that ntr eyes were turned from him. {To be continued.)