LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1954, 29 May 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ACCIDENTALLY OVEIIHEAED.

From the “Atlantic Monthly.” ( Concluded .)

There could be no mistaking that voice. He had heard it once before, and only 0n0e.5

If Miss Lester were in earnest in wishing to scold Miss Cameron, she had an early opportunity of doing so, for she received a call from that lady the next day after the deaf-mnte party. Miss Cameron came without her friend, and this gave an additional reason for Mies Lester to administer her rebuke. But either she had forgotten her intention, or fesred to bri g down retaliation upon herself. She had enough to do discuss the amusing episodes of the night before. ‘ And how did your friend, Miss Elwell, like George Barrow ?’ she finally asked. ‘I really cannot tell,’ said Miss Cameron. ‘ She provokes me sometimes by her halfmocking ways, and I tell her that I never am quite sure what she thinks of any one until she has cried over him and laughed over him.’

• Well, baa "she cried over my gallant cousin ?’

‘ I can’t say what she may have done in private. Before mo she has indulg ’d in a series ot laughs, which make me almost afraid to bring them together.’ ‘ Why, do you mean to bring them together V

‘ She insists that I am to give a tea-party, to which you and he are to bo invited.’ 1 Well, Nehy, I shall not decline such a gracious and hearty invitation, and when George understands that he is invited to meet a young lady whom he excites to uncontrollable laughter I can scarcely imagine the alacrity with which he will accept.’ ‘ Anna Lester, you are not quite fair. Why will you force me to say’— ‘ To say what ? ’ ‘ Let ns begin over again. My friend is very mischievous, though she looks so demure. I do not know your cousin well. Yon must remember that I never spoke to him until last night, if one can call that speaking. Of course, I have my ideas about him. Have I not heard you praise him ? Does not everybody praise him? Have not I myself foolishly praised him before I knew

him, simply repeating what everybody says, and what he looked, before I talked with him at all ? It is too bad, Anna Lester, for you to sit there and hear me say these thing*; hut I toll you plainly, your cousin is notwhat I supposed him to be —but I have no tight to say that.’ ‘ No, indeed, you have no right to say it 1’ said Miss Lester indignantly. * Why do you come to me with such speeches, Helen Cameron ? As if George Barrow were not a g'-Od deal more that I ever saw in him! ’ /lam very penitent, Anna, and very miserable, or else I should not be coming to you with his. Mr Barrow tells you every thin-r, doesn't he ? ’

‘ He never mentioned yonr name to me, Helen Cameron.’

‘ trover ? —not since last Saturday V *N i. Stop. It was last Saturday that he wrote my invitations for me. He didn’t exactly mention you. Indeed, I believe I mentioned you first,’ and Miss Lester smiled a Hi tie grimly. * Was it in the afternoon ?’

‘Yes; it was about four o’clock that he was here. My dear Nelly, what in the world is it ? lam dying of curiosity ’ ‘I don’t know that I want to tell now,’ said Miss Cameron, looking a little more composed.

/ Oh, do tell, I don’t tell George everything ’

‘ 130 you toll Henry Jenness everything V ‘ Nell, you are getting spiteful, and it doesn’t become yon.’

* I have partly got over my misery, Anna —that is all. Well,’ suddenly, ‘ I will tell you. But surely you will receive it in confidence.’

‘ Wild horses shall not drag it from me.’ ‘ I don’t care about the horses.' ‘ Well, not a Barrow shall wheel it away.’ ‘You mast know, then, that last Saturday ’— ‘This is truly exciting,’ said Miss Lester, pro l sing forward eagerly, with her .hands on her knees.

‘ Helen Elwell and I had been in Brook lyn as far as the Park, and there we met an old school friend, and you may imagine how ranch gossip I’ve talked. We named over everyone who had been at school with ns, and, as Helen said, a cloud as big as a man's hand seemed to rest on everyone of them. It was perfectly ridiculous, and we did not escape the contagion, you m»y be sure Our friend came with ns nearly to the Ferry, chattering all the way. and when we left her we kept up the edifying conversation going over again all the names, and speculating about them. Helen was as absurd as possible. She began to pretend all manner of attachments, and I was nearly as silly. Oh, Anna, whst a confession I am making! Let me atop hero.’ ‘ Stop here! Why, my dear Nelly, yon are at the most interesting point.’ ‘ Well, we were walking slowly up Broadway, for we were quite tired, and Helen had begun to appropriate various friends of mine whom she had met or had heard me speak of It amused me and I humored her, but it got to be a little provoking, and I suppose I was cross and rather ashamed of her and myself, for all at once she mentioned your cousin as her latest and most valuable—eaptlve, she cabled him. This was too much; I knew she had never spoken a word to him and had only seen him once or twice, and I protested.’ Miss Cameron was silent.

‘ And vary proper, my dear ; bat I don’t see anything in that to throw yon on the verse of hysterics.’ ‘ Oh, but Anna, you cannot understand. At that very moment who should pass us but—bnt Mr George Barrow himself.’ 4 How extraordinary ! ’ ‘Oh, not extraordinary at all. It was a just punishment,’ and Miss Cameron hid her face, and langhed and cried. Anna Lester looked at her in amazement.

‘ Well, my dear,’ she said finally, ‘I must really think that you make too fine a point of it What was there so very dreadful in that ? If you had told George that you were in love with him, that would have been another thing ’ * Oh, but I did, Anna, I did ; that is just what I did, and for which I never, never, never shall forgive myself—no, nor him either. How could he—how could he listen, and then taunt me with it afterward ? ’

4 Come, come, Helen. Abuse yourself as much as you please, but don’t bring a railing accusation against George Barrow.’ ' Oh, I know ; it is all my own fault,’ admitted Miss Cameron, again penitent. 4 Anna, you shall hear the worst. Helen had just been audaciously setting up a special claim far him, and I was provoked to answer, “I am In love with Mr George Barrow,” when at that very moment I discovered that Helen had stepped behind, and a gentleman was receiving my confidence. That gentleman was Mr George Barrow.’ Miss Lester covered her face, and laughed and laughed, 4 Oh, my poor cousin, my poor cousin!’ she exclaimed at length. ‘And pray where is hia poverty ?’asked Miss Cameron, with some asperity at getting no commiseration ior herself.

4 Excuse me, Nelly, but I can only faintly imagine his discomfiture at the situation,’ ‘ I doubt his being discomfited, 1 said Miss Cameron, dryly. *At any rate he recognised us by raising his hat. He meant we should know that he heard. 1

4 I do not believe that, 1 said Mias Lestf*. 4 George is the soul of honour. If he overheard anything thus accidentally, he would keep it to himself. And he is so romantic be would build an entire air castle from this I ttlo incident. Are you sure he recognised yon ? 1 4 He recognised his name, but he did not turn about to look at my face. 1 4 Of course he did not! 1 said Miss Lester, indignantly. 4 But he must have been behind us. Do you think he could have known our backs ? 1 4 Well, Nelly, if he had been looking hard, I think he would have known yours. I suspect he knows you at every angle 1 — 4 He sti l, Anna ; you distress me. 1 4 But I do not believe he would have known Miss Elwell, 1 4 He intimated last night that he knew me. 1 4 What I 1 Hereupon Miss Cameron produced the paper which contained Barrow's unfinished sentence. Miss Lester studied it attentively. ‘The moat I can say, Helen, is that if he were about to refer to that incident — and I do not believe he was—he had not the remotest notion that you were the one. ’ 4 He said ve-y directly to Helen Elwell that he had a quick ear for voices and recognised people by them. 1 4 Did he ever hear yours P 1 4 Never but that once, that I know of. 1 4 1 confess I am puzzled. I wish I could have heard him talking with you and Mias ICI ell. I knew something was going wrong with him all the evenim:. 1 4 1 have his conversation with H len, 1 said Miss C meron, meekly producing the scraps of paper. 4 Ah ! that is one of the advantages of the new me: hod, 1 said Miss Lester, sagacions’y. 4 Let me read it, my dear. 1 She read the sentences slowly ; then she jumped up, then sat down again. 4 Helen, Helen I 1 she exclaimed, 4 1 have it —I am sure I have it. He has a suspicion. He thinks it was Helen Elwell who made the pretty little speech. 1 4 Do yon really think so P 1 4 1 do ; my intellect is working with extraordinary clearness. Now, Nelly, can you remember the very words you used when you were acoidental'y overheard I 1 4 Oh, I remember them too distinctly. I have said them over and over again ; they stick to me like burrs. I have tried hard to believe I said something else. 1 4 First, does he know that Miss Elwell’a name is Helen P 1

• No, I do not see why he should.’ * And does he know that yonrs is ?’ ‘Yes ; he asked me last night, and looked very much surprised when he found that it was ’

1 Well, now, exactly what did you say on that momentous Saturday afternoon V Miss Cameron hesitated and colored. Then, as if if it was nothing to be ashamed of, she repeated with some emphasis—•Mr George Barrow ? Mr dear Helen, I confess to being in love with that gentleman.’

Perhaps the excitement made her raise her voice a little. Be this as it may, Mr George Barrow, who had entered at the other end of the room, heard for a second time distinctly the extraordinary words which had caused him already so much pleasurable pain. He did what any man of honor under the circumstances must needs do ; he turned and fled like a coward. Yet, noiseless as he thought he was, he could not pvss through the hall without being being neard as he went by the other entrance to

the parlor. At that moment Anna Lester threw the door open, thinking a visitor had •"ome, f:-r she had bea r d the bell, which Miss Cameron had not. Her cousn stood before her in all tha guiltiness of innocence. ‘You heard me again !’ cri d Miss Cameron passionately and convulsively. Mr Barrow had the courage of his convictions, at all e cents. Mies Lester had her own instantaneous grasp of the situation. She went through the open door into the hall and rushed wildly upstairs at t*ie same moment that George Barrow, pushing b/ her, entered the parlor. He stood before the weeping girl.

/Yes, I accidentally overheard yon,’ lie said. There was something in tha mournfnl tones of his voice which lei her to look up. His face was singularly t 11-tile. Norma it long before he confirmed its story of ingenious p'eading by words which at any rate we should not be justified in overhearing—certainly not in overhearing with cool calculation. Whatever mystery still remained to him he was coi-tent to hear afterward. Migg Helen Elwell’s voice, agreeable as it was in musi •, had a teasing quality shout it in speech which o-mld by no p ossibility be mistaken to- IVfise H len o*me en’s.