LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2063, 4 October 1880, Page 4

LITERATURE.

♦THAT CHABMING COUNT.' [From the 'Argosy.'] Concluded. * Max 1 What do these men mean ? There is some mistake!' cried Dora, so bewildered that she only recovered her powers of speech -when the handcuffs were already round the adventurer's wrists. * There is no mistake,' said Arthur com--passionataly, and drew nearer to her side. She turned from him petulantly. How irritating he was. Of course there was a mistake. * Max!' she cried, in a sharp tone of agony, «nd titretohed out her hands as though to ding to him. ' I must trouble you, madam,' said the detective politely, and interposed hia own arm between her and his prize. Max gave her one look ; a gleam of softer feeling broke for an instant the Bet rage of bis face; then he averted his head, and -without a word moved slowly away between hia captors. Dora darted forward to follow him. But -quick as thought Lestrange was upon her atepß, and seizing her absolutely in hia arms, held her until the police and their prisoner were lost to eight in the throng. She became easy enough to manage after that, poor soul! for she nearly lost consciousness, and submitted to be half led, half oarried to a cab. Into this Arthur, giving an address to the cabman, got in with her. * I am going to put you under my sister[s • care for the night,' he said kindly. ' She is married and lives at Kensington.' The drive lasted a good half-hour, and during the whole of that time not an observation was exchanged. The lamp lights 'flashing occasionally upon Dora's face showed Her to Arthur with wide-open, tearless eyes, -whose despair made his heart ache. Once -when his hand accidentally touched hers, she withdrew from the contact with a quick movement that spoke of resentment. And -when the cab stopped at last, and Lestrange -would have helped her to descend, she brushed hia proffered arm aside, and walked into the house before liim with a stately step Mid erect head. Their arrival, of course, excited great surprise; but, fortunately, Mr and Mrs Courtenay had been giving a party, and consequently were but just thinking of going to bed. Arthur's sister—who was very like Mm—only required half a dozen whispered -words before she grasped the entire situation. Her greeting to Dora was most cordial ; and Mr Courtenay took the unexpected guest into the drawing-room, -where, manfully bottling up his curiosity, he -talked to her about the fineness of the night and kindred subjects of an inoffensive nature. Dora was perfectly civil to him, but as cold as an ice-berg. * May I go to my room now ?' she asked, rising abruptly as Mrs Courtenay and her brother entered. , Certainly,' answered the lady, kindly, and escorted her npstairs. ' Good night!' said Bora, stopping short -upon the threshhold of the bedroom door. Her hostess probably comprehended all that ' -there waa of bitterness and shame in tbe proud young heart; for she had the tact not to press any attentions upon the girl, but just with a wish that she might sleep well, turned away and left her as quickly as she could. Then Dora locked the door, and flinging herself upon the bed, gave vent in -tears to the agony of humiliation, resentment and depair that for one interminable hour had filled her heart to bursting. 4 1 can not—can not forgive you !' cried Dora passionately, next day to Lestrange. ■•You tell me he is unworthy—an adventurer, a forger. Ido not believe it ! I must ■ have some better proof than your assurances.' *My assurancea are baaed upon the revelation of Scotland Yard, unfortunately,' said Lestrange, with (at last) a touch of im- , patience in hia tone. Dora shrank visibly. ' Scotland Yard ia not infallible,' abe said, atill bravely, but -with a horrible sickening feeling of despair and disgust in her heart. ' Dear Miss Morton,' said Lestrange, earneatly, 'do but believe how gladly I would speak a hope to you, if I did not feel that any false comfort now would only make your ultimate awakening the more better. In all this miserable business I have had but one thought, which was to save you—' 'And to ruin him,' burst in Dora, excitedly. 'lt ia easy to evoke morality and public justice and many other high-sounding aims which may serve as a cloak for personal - resentment.' 'Enough,' said Arthur, now thoroughly wounded, and rose from his seat. 'The -position of n rejected suitor is never a very agreeable or a very triumphant one, but it waa. left for me to learn, and for you, Miss Morton, to teach me, that it might be made - the oecaaion of intolerable insult. If it pleases yon to consider me a sneak, that you may exalt Count Starolyi into a victim, I ■ must deplore your resolution, but it would be beneath me to contest it. There ia, however, one point whioh I should like you clearly, to understand, and which results ■ from my altered position both toward you . and toward the world.' Dora raised her tear-stained and—truth to - tell—somewhat shame-stricken face from her ■ handkerchief, and listened to him now with ; . » mournful, nascent curiosity. ' When I offered you my hand,' continued i Arthur In his low, steady tones, ■ I con- . sidered myself the heir to great wealth. Two days ago I knew with certainty that these expectations had vanished into thin air. Even if you honored me my accepting me, I should have regarded such a change in my prospects as a leasonable motive for withdrawing your plighted word. And this declaration should show yon with how little hope of winning you at any time for my •wife; I interposed last night to save you, as I should the merest acquaintance, from a future of disgrace and ruin.' He tosk his hat, bowed, and left her. Left her roused for an instant from the contemplation of her own woea, startled, compassionate, remorseful, and ashamed! But the humiliation of those first days following Starolyi'o, or rather Ford's, arrest, was nothing compared to what Dora had to , suffer after her return to Farnleigh. Her . aunt, indeed, and the atill dumbfoundered Mrs Corbett welcomed the returned fugitive 'with the .utmost kindness; and from the i moment that they first received her again . into their anna, they made not the smallest allusion to her escapade or its cause. But, as her attempted elopement had 'been kept a profound secret, and her absence explained by a visit to a friend, Dora could not escape wherever she went from the intolerable suffering of hearing her late lover abused. For the news of his arrest travelled down to ITarnleigh two days after his departure, .and the little town gradually . awoke to the fact that it had nourished a viper in its bosom. Incredulity was the first sentiment. Like I poor Dora, everybody said there must be a 'mistake. An error of identity would ac..count for the whole thing. Mrs Damer explained that Arthur Le.strange, on meeting the adventurer at the Sfoaeey's had recognised him as a man ".whom he had known some two years .prevviously in America, where he had passed as rihe Hon. Mr Greville. ~'Jnder this name he "bad. enjoyed a brief but brilliant career, and iiad been within an ace of marrying the zicheat heiress in California.

Of.course, said Farnleigh, here was the solution of the whole mystery. Mr Lestrange was responcible fi.r having an innocent enan arrested. It was understood that he had -found out Income odd way that the Count was to be at Paddington Station on a particular night, and had coram uiicated the fact to the police. They had, an hour previously, discovered what they considered the last link in the chain of evidence, and had hastened in consequence to effect the arrest.

It was plain that the whole thing had been done in too great a hurry. Tie zeal of Sootland Yard was easy it understand, but, really, Mr Lestrange's Farnleigh shook its head, and looked, not merely volume*, but a whole encyclopedia of unutterable things. Unfortunately, just about this time Mrs Darner got her answer from the Consul ß who apologised for his delay. He stated that there was indeed a Count Btarolyi whose i£>e corresponded to that of the pretender, and who had been for three years past shut up in a lunatic asylum in a remote corner of Hungary ! The Consul added that this young nobleman, a few months before going mad, had been robbed by his secretary—an Englishman—who had levanted with a large sum of money, many of his employer's private papers, and all his decorations,

This was a blow Indeed! The pluckiest among the ladies apart, very few had the courage now to defend the too seductive stranger. People looked mournfully at the aoi-dls-tant Hungarian's splendid presents. ' Poor fellow—at least he was very generous,' said the most indulgent. But even this remaining drop of consolation was denied at laßt to the cup of their bitterness. There was one general groan of rage and consternation when the bills for all the elegant gifts bestowed by the ' Count' upon his hosts arrived from the country town—addressed to the presentees. The jewellers, florists, picture Bellers, and stationers, cross-questioned, exhibited the orders given by ' Starolyi' in the names of the persons whom he had delighted to honor. Then it was that with one accord Farnleigh fell foul of the unfortunate Mr Stracey. This gentleman (smarting under the knowledge that if he wished to keep some proof-engravings of which he had been extremely proud, he must pay for them) became quite apoplectic at last every time his late guest's name was mentioned. All that anybody managsd to elicit from him was that he had met Ford In a theatre in Paris. Between the acts, and as a consequence of some interchange of programmes and opera glasses, the two had fallen to talkiog; and Mr Stracey haying mentioned ' old Starolyi,' as a former friend of his, his new acquaintance deola.-ed himBelf to stand to that defunct nobleman in the relation of a son. •Most imprudent of Mr Stracy, I must say!' remarked, to Mrs Darner, an elderly maiden, who, never having had any bouquets, was rather inclined to enjoy the denouement. 'Myself, I was always convinced that this man was an Imposter, were not you ?' ' Honestly, I can not say that my suspicions went so far as that. And, Miss Tilney, I should think even yours were of recent origin,' said Mra Darner, remembering how her visitor had moved heaven and earth to have theStraceys' friend introduced to her. ' Not at all —not at all! I suspected him from the first They say he will have twenty-five years penal servitude—bless me ! Dora, how pale you look. One would almost think—Have you heard about Clarice Ferrers? Found out in a clandestine correspondence with this wretch. Madly in love with him. my dear Mrs Damer ! What the girls of the present d»y are coming to! they will be falling in love with murderers next. I always told Mrs Ferrers that ihe should look a little more sharply after thai minx, Miss Clarice. lam assured she used to meet this—he 1 he !—forger, every night at the entrance gate of the Btraey's paddock, and in a month she was to have joined him in Guernsey. You have heard, of course, he left so suddenly because some grand swindling enterprise in Paris collapsed. No ? Then you have not read the papers? I will send them to yon. They will amuse Dora. Good-bye, child. You are losing all your roses, and your complexion is everything to you. I should prescribe ohange of—he I he ! scene.' This is a specimen of what poor Dora had to endure, while the leaden weeks crawled on before Ford's trial—each hour in them being marked by soma new agony in her long torture. fiow she lived through the pain, the infinite humiliation, she never knew. But she came out of the ordeal with a Btrengthed character and nobler aims. And, at last, her greatest sorrow was caused, not by the recollection of the love she had lavished on an impostor, but of the injustice of which she had been guilty toward a friend. For the next two years Lestrange, working hard at literature in London, came but little to Farnleigh. His aunt and uncle, though fall of pride in their tardily-born heir, were as fond of him as ever, and be was glad as ever to be with them. But he was resolute to win his own way to fortune, and his efforts left him scant leisure for a country life. Dora and he met finally to a dinner-party at the Staceys'. They sat next to one another at table, but did not find very much to say. She noted with a remorseful pleasure how gentle his manner was to her. He felt an emotion that surprised himself on observing that she was paler and graver, if lovelier than of old. After dinner, by accident they found themselves alone in the conservatory—that conservatory so odious to Doia became connected in her mind with ■ Starolyi.' As she stood there a whirl of recollections assailed her. Lestrange was speaking. She did not heed him. A little disappointed, perhaps, he was moving away, when the girl, desperately collecting her courage, said eagerly : ' Please stay !' He turned, surprised at the agitation of her tone. 'Stay just one moment, Mr Lestrange. I may not again have an opportunity, and I have bo longed to be able to speak to yon, Once, in that dreadful time, you were very, very good to me; and I was unjust and insulting to you. No, doa't interrupt me, please. I must say it. i don't suppose you will care about; my being sorry; that is not much good to you ; but I am sorry, and I was so five minutes after I spoke thojo horrible words. And ever since I have wanted to tell you so, and to ask yon to forgive me. And do you think you ever can?' Dora, feeling that she had made the most idiotic speech possible, blushing and mortified at herself, put out two eager little hands. •What would I not forgive you ?' said Lestrange ; and taking her hands, kissed them. 'I congratulate you, my dear,' some months later said Miss Tinley when Dora was engaged. ' For do yon know, I feared once that you were fretting for " that charming Count." *