LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2448, 9 February 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

MRS MACDONALD'S EXPERIMENT.

fFrom "Tinsley's Magazine."]] ' MOTHER, when you were young and pretty, did you ever feel that you were neither in the eyes of the man ' you wanted to please?'' ' No, May, that bewildering doubt never assailed me. Are you fighting it now ?' ' Only skirmishing with it. Lord Skersdale is to be at Lady Hallington's tonight, and everybody's talking about him, you know, mother, and wondering to whom he will throw the handkerchief.'

' Pray Qod not to yon,' Mrs Carylon said to herself; but aloud she replied, * you ' are not dreaming vain dreams, I hope, May r ' One can't help thinking of what may be put before one,' the girl replied, in alighthearted way, that Bhowed her anxious mother there was nothing very serious in her speculations about Lord Skersdale. Still several times in the course of the day this anxiety recurred. Over and over again as the hours sped by—and the girl openly wished they Vould speed faster the widowed mother (who was the sole guardian of one of the prettiest girls in London) reI fitted th»t she had rot obeyed htf instincts, and repelled the advanoes of handsome, hardened, daring, daflgerons Lady Hailington. But it had been difficult to do this ; for Lady Hallington wa* pertinacious, and Mrs Carylon was weak whore her daughter's pleasures were concerned. Acocrdingly now she found herself and May In the whirl of one of the fastest sets in London. Of this

net Lady Hailing ton waa an acknowledged head-centre. Men averred she kept her head marvellously; and the world added that 'there was not a word against he-. She was seen everywhere. One ought to be seen, you know.' Nevertheless, she waa thought to be a risky pilot for a young girl, and known to be fond of the work. The great majority thought it a cDmpliment to be invite! to her reception* and at-homes, and a distinction to be one of the favored few at her celebraied little dinners. It was only those who were omitted, when she seut out her invitations, who declared that nothing on earth would induce them to visit such a woman.

Mrs Carylon was an exception to the general rule. She and her pretty daughter were never omitted ; yet Mrs Carylon always went reluctantly, wished herself elsewhere when she was there, and cuna away with unspoken gratitude in her heart for nothing unpleasant having come upjn her through the intimacy as yet. In thia impending meeting with Lord Skersdale, Mrs Oylon's prophetic soul saw much that was unpleasant. Two years before this, the young earl had come into his inheritance by the death of his father, and last year he had come of age; since then he had made a bad mark in r ooiety by his free indulgence in oonduct that would have been disreputable in a peasant. But people forgave it in the handsome, wealthy young peer, and euphoniously deß3ribed it as, 'Skersdale sowing his wild oats.' Up to the present time no girl's name had been coupled with his as likely to win matrimonial honours.

The gathering in Lady Hallingfcon'a house in Upper Brook street on thia night was composed of the carefully-selected 'best' of her set. It was her object to impress Lord Skersdale with May Carylon's claims to his consideration, and in order to do this she resolved to show May to him, surrounded by the most flawless, fashionable people. On this night she would have no Bohemian admixture. A Igreat poet was there and an equally great painter. Bat minor celebrities and notorieties of every kind, especially of the little testhetic school, were carefully excluded.

In fact, it was a crowd of perfectlyappointed people, each one of whom waa too thoroughly fixed in a groove, about which thera waa nothing to affect any aspect or feeling in order to obtain recognition, which had been yielded to one and all from their birth. Thoy had been meeting eachj other about in all the places which belonged to them for the last month, for the season was well on.

On the morning of this day they had met in the Bow; and at five o'clock teas, at

Hurliughatn, and, later on, at different dinners. Now they we'e meeting her«; and, still later, many of them would be shuffled together Id a crowd at the Princess's ball. So that there was plenty of subject matter for conversation betweeu them, and no one felt dull, in spite of the absence of anything like originality or any other departure from the dead-level of good form. Into this flawlessly, well bred well-tutored, well-looking, amiably and pleasantly selfish att. May Carylon came with the courage of a child- the soul of an artist, the heart of a

woman, the taste of a connoisseur, and the

face and form of a Venus. She was dressed by Madame White on this occasion, and when this is said there is no need to enter into further details. Ten minutes alter this, Lord Skersdale came in. His lordship was often excited of an evening, but this night liis excitement bad an unusual depth and strength, v'gonr and healthiness. He had been playing polo all the afternoon, and the exercise, together with the fact of his having been obliged to keep bis head perfectly clear while he look it, had done him good in every way. He appeared to ba quite an ideally free-from-all-phystoal-and-mental ailments young fellow, as he came up to Lady Hallington, instead of seeming the stolid young sot to whom society was tolerant only because he was Lord i-hersdalo. Seen as he was to-night, he was a handsome fellow, till and lithe, with a bright boy's face, that had great possibilities cf good in it, and a manner that he had inherited from his mother one of the sweetest, truest, purest women that ever breathed tie air of this world. Seeing him thus for the first time, what wonder that May Carylon's heart fell prostrate before him 1 or that she adored him the more seeing that she had been cautioned against him. and he what he was ?

' You can't do better,' Lady Halllngton raid to him that night, when he was taking leave of her ; 'she has birth, beanty, brains, and the knack of nsing all three properly. Yon'll be a great deal in love with her, and a little afraid of her ; and, Skorcdile, she's the right kind of woman to be afraid of. I assure you I'm proud ol having so much pood left in me as to ask myself frequently, •' Will May Carylon out me if I do this ?" ' * If she'll marry me, I'll buy a yacht, take her away in it, and surround myself with water, till I feel the dry land holds no snare fjr me.'

'lf yon do that, people will say you're afra-d for her, not of her; besides, I don't care for yachting, and so you must stay here and let me see how the model couple I've brought together go on. You'll have the prettiest wife ia London.' ' I shall have ths prettiest wife in London ; but, somehow, I derive very small satisfaction from the contemplation of that fact. Other men's pretty wives haven't proved unmixed blessings ; and if my wifo went —went wrong, I'd blow my brains out,' the young fellow burst forth, with such genuine feeling and passionate force that he astonished his friend Lady Hallington. •Mother, people are wrong who say horrid things of Lord Skersdale,' May said to her mother, as they drove home; 'he told me he kissed his pony Blunder, because he behaved so beautifully at the polo-match thla afternoon ; and really,' the g : rl added, laughing. ' I thought he'd have kissed me when I said I would like to paint Blunder.'

' Dear May, I wish I had heard something better of him than that he kissed hia pony, before—'

She paused, and May asked, 'Before what ?'

' Before yon offered to paint it. How sick lam of the season 1 Let us go somewhere for a change, out of town, to-morrow. Belgium ! you've been wanting to go there for Eome time. lam ready to go to-mor-row. '

May laughed. ' No, mother darling, it's too late,' aha said ; ' all the art-galleries in Belgium couldn't put the recollection out of my head that Lord Skersdale wants me to paint his pet polo pony, ' twelve hands two and a half, built like a dray-horse, and as brown as a berry ;' that was hia description of Blunder.'

' Bather like a trainer, 1 Mrs Carlyon sayp, with a slight shudder. ' And should it not bo like a trainer's description F He trained Blunder himself and is proud of the feat I and I admire him for his good looks and gracious manner, and for his evident liking of me ! Dear mother, it's no use ; I can't go to Belgium, and I do like Lord Skersdale.'

It was too late ! Mrs Carylon's heart endorsed her daughter's confession. One of the sweetest, gentlest, purest young girls in London was dazzled and beguiled by the bright air and the attentions of one of the most racketing, extravagant, and (Mrs Oarylon feared) unprincipled of men. Precautions, absence, stern criticism, all were now of no avail.

May Carylon was in love, for the first time in her Hf*. and Lord Skersdale rejoiced in the prospeot of having the prettiest woman in London for his wife. Handsome, reckloßß Lady Hailing ton helped the affair on to the best of her ability by telling Skersdale all she knew of May's movements. Even Mrs Carylon saw good in the contemplated alliance, when once it was a settled tilng. Lord Skersdale's manner to the mother of his bride elect wan a rare success, impregnated, as it »7as, with heart and reverential feeling, and displayed with delicate tact. It was hard, nay, it was Impossible, for the mother to feel that this boy, who seemed to find life's fullest happiness in the presence of her cherished daughter, could be the profligate young felJow rumour had declared him to be. He, with that frank, free, oharming, youthful grace of bearing, oould not be the sot and gambler, the vicious unchecked reprobate of whom she had heard. She told herself that these things could .not be, until she believed that they were not;; and when May saw that her mother was satisfied, the girl's oup of joy was filled to the brim, this world became a paradise, and her faith in all things, especially in the power of love and Lord Skersdale, expanded till it knew no bounds.

The wedding day arrived, and May, in her gleaming satin and soft billowing laces, with diamonds—her lover's presents—ren-

derlng brow and neok and arms radiant, stood before the altar of a fashionable church, with a bishop and two priests waiting to tie the knot. How long she stood there before the bridegroom —a laggard in love for the first time —came she knew rot. It teemed like hoars to the nervous, shy, trembling, yet still happy girl. It seemed like yeira to the anxiously forboding heart of his mother and hers. Presently ho came. No, it could not be that he waß the gallant, graceful, handsome young lord-lover who had been making earth and heaven to May lately ! Thi3 was a staggering, heavy-faced, incoherent, wildly excited man, from whom May, with eyes wide open with dismay, shrank with affright. Bat he was the man to whom she was to be married, and bo the service was promptly commenced ; and an ardent friend him the one, and found the ring for him, and almost pnt it on May's lily trembling hand, and generally assisted Skersdalo through the service in the way that became a ' best man ' and affectionate cousin. So the ceremony was over, and May was the Countess of Skercdale, and the envy of all her acquaintances. But her mother's heart nearly broke that day when she saw her flower-faced child drive away with her husband who, with thickened utterance, strove in vain to speak reassuring words to his bride. Black care was in the carriage with her, murdering her fondest illusion*, and showing hideous realities with an unflinching hind. Poor, beautiful, disappointed young countess ! She needed all her mother's prayers that desperate day. Twelve months passed, and even Lady Hallington, with all her oallousness end thoughtlesaness, felt sorry when the fashionable papers announced that Lady Skorsdale was in town for the season, and that his lordship would regain abroad till the autumn. ' It's so ridiculously soon for them to have parted so openly,'Lady Hallington declared; ' she ought to have put up with his foibles, and have been nice and kind to him ; the poor boy has one of those sensitive natures that are ruined by harshness.' To this his mother, the dowager Lady Skeradale, replied: 'My poor daughter is more to be pitied than any woman I know 5 I love my son, but I cnnot defend him.' •I believe her mother counselled coldness,' Lady Hallington went on ; * your son might have been melted by warmth; but Lady Skeradale, acting under her mother's advice, has frozsn his heart.'

■ Even for the sake of extenuating my Bon'a conduct I cannot have my daughter blamed.' the old lady rejoined proudly ; and this speech filtered through Lady Ballington and permeated society, and gave that power the knowledge that May had one true staunch friend in the world besides her own mother. The season went on, and rumor tried hard to find out flaws in young Lady Skersdale's public and private life; bat unintentionally she baffled it entirely. At home her own mother was her constant companion. Abroad she was rarely seen •without the mother of the man who had laid her life waste. For months this state of things lasted; and gossip, growiDg savage at having been given nothing to feed upon, was about to cease from wrongiDg her, and betake itself to some mora fruitful place, when a change came over her, and rumor and gossip were on the alert, resolved to watch the game out. Beautiful young Lady Skersdale, to whom the most exclusive doors in London were thrown widely open, had suddenly wearied of the world that wooed her so flatteringly, and gone i ff into the oountry to Btudy painting, tif course her mother going out of town at the same time was a ' mere blind, * people said, a movement actuated by the laudable maternal desire to keep up appearances. But society avowed that it was not going to be deceived by any such shallow pretence. There was a mystery about young Lady Skersdale's sudden departure, and the charitable world said, ' There never yet was a myßtery In a w< m»n's life without there being a man at the bottom of it ' As for old Lady Skersdale, her lips seemed to be sealed. In vain people assailed her with open inquiry, subtle conjeoture, and delicately-veiled inuendo. If she knew anything of her daughter-ln law's whereabo. ts, she concealed her knowledge with an air of such bland and childlike innocence, that the world felt itself warranted in thinking and saying that 'Lady Skersdale must have done something too bad to be spoken about, and that the old lady was a brave woman to keep up auoh a smiling exterior, and seem so thoroughly at rest, when her only son (who had his faults, of course; but then, after all, what were they in comparison with the unknown ones of his wife ?) had been so vilely treated.' After a time the sooiety papers ceased to speak of Lord Skersdale, his yacht, and his prolonged absence abroad. Meanwhile, in a little quiet Cornish village not many miles from the Land's end, May was living the life that she believed to be the best she could lead, considering all the sad circumstances of her case. She had taken and furnished a solitary house standing on a bo?d cliff on the sea tide of the village, and to it she had come with her paints and her pencil and easel, and started as a student of nature in some of its wildest and fairest aspects, under the name of Mrs Macdonald. Her conscience did not upbraid her for this, for Macdonald was the family name of the husband • who hxd left her' (as even the world said), and whose title she had dropped. And here for a few weeks Bhe made studies of wave? in storm and calm, in cloud and sunshine; of sea-gulls ;of fishing-smacks, and fhher boys and girls—and of her own heart.

In a very short time she came to the conclusion that it was not good for her to dwell a'one, and selfishly devote herself to the absorbing pursuit of the art she loved. She was only a loving weak woman ; and though she had been deceived and disappointed onoe she knew that she had it in her heart to love again. The inhabitants of Penbarrow were very much like the inhabitants of other small old-world out-of-the-way villages. That is to say, some of them were suspicious, illnatured, evil-minded, and slanderous ; while otherslwere generous, true, trusting, and full of the milk of human kindness. When Mrs Macdonald came among them first, with her beauty and paint-pots, and her carious habits of straying about sketching on the wild seashore when half a gale of wind was blowing, they eyed her warily, and made her out to be something rare and nncnmmon, but neither dangerous nor detrimental. (To be continued )