LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2507, 20 April 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE CONSPIRATOR’A DAUGHTER. A Tale of the Ef.cket Societies, A Strange Room. and a Stbauge Occupant.

Never at any time of his life omrld Emmanuel Barff have been a pleasant-looking man; but now, in hla old days, 'With the weight of eighty years pressed upon his broad shoulders, he was a giant in rales, with all grimnees and the stolidity which usually belonged to the sons of Axak. ©ld and bent as he was, he appeared comf-rtible enough, there was a large fire crack ling'tnerrily as it roared np the chimney, and at his side was a tumbler more than half'full of some cunning compound. He had been smoking, too ; but he had laid aside' his pipe, and he was now merely gazing into the fire with blinking, feeble eyes. The room was as ancient "as its occupant. Once upon a time it had probably been whitewashed. Time and dirt, however, had imparted to it a different hue, and its present 00l r was a streaky grey. It was inconveniently crowded with quaint furniture, picked np apparently from all kinds of places. Everywhere signs and tokens were visible thatjEmmanuelßarfF was either a hopelessly broken-down millionaire or a speculator in odds and ends which came nobody knew whence, and which went nobody oared where. He was still blinking in an uncertain way at the fire when a young girl entered. Wonderful was the contrast between the fair, blackeyed beauty and the old man who was her father. The dark, lustrous eyes and raven hair of the 'radiant girl made Emmanuel seem more corpse-like than ever; and It was almost painful in such a place to hear the merry, tunesome snatch of an old song which was upon her pouting lips as she entered. The old man raised his head slightly, and addressed her in their native tongue. He had taught her the old language, and when at home they n-ed no other speech, ‘ Thou art late to-night, Martha ?’ 4 A little, father. I had many things to bay for the morrow, and on Saturday nights you know the streets are crowded.’ And she proceeded to dispose of her marketing in more than one mysterious fissure which did duty as cupboards. * Sit down, child, and rest awhile I have mnch to say to thee. Samoiedes has been here. ’ * Samoiedes I 1 And Martha dropped at once upon one of the cane-bottomed chairs.

‘ Samoiedes! lam glad I was not in, for I hate that mao—l hate him !’ And she clenched ner little fists and tried hard to look fierce.

‘That is not well, my child,'hfr father answered, moodily; ‘ Samoiedes is not young —Samoiedes is not handsome—but ho is rich- very rich ; and money is good—very good.' *ls it ? Much good it has done to Bamoled Ps, my father.’ Martha said ; ‘he is the ugliest, the most deceitful, the moat —’ •Never mind the rest, my dear,’ interrupted Emmanuel, ‘he has his faults. So have you. and so have I ; but—became here for a particular purpose to night. Samoiedes is in love, my dear.’ l ln love !’ Martha exclaimed, with scorn unutterable; ‘the old wretch! I wonder what wickedness he means to try next. Why, he must be sixty If be is a day, and he looks old enough to be two hundred. The mummies at the British Museum will fall in love next! I wonder who the poor creature is that he has taken a fancy to ?’ ‘ Her name is Martha Barff, ’ the old. man said, with rather a nervous quiver in his voice.

‘Martha Ba'ff!’—and the girl sprang to her feet in splendidindigution, ‘father, you axe joking ! Even Samoiedes wcuid not dare to insult mo thus.’

‘lt it be an insu t to ask your hand jn marriage, then he is guilty,’ her father said, slowly and painfully, * and he is resolute. He will take no denial.’

‘Won’t he?’ she exclaimed, I my father, listen to me ’— for tho old man, having delivered himself of his speech, was about to fall asleep—'listen tome. Tell Samoiedes from ue that I will die rather than marry him: and if he refuses to take an answer I will send somebody else to him.’ ‘Ah! who is that J’—and the dnll eyes opened anew. * Karl Hhevlin, the carpenter I’ And Martha blushed deeply as she revealed her lover’s name for the first time to her father.

‘Karl Shevlin I Heaven help thee, my daughter!’ Emmanuel said; and then, unable to endure farther mental strain, he closed his eyes and slumbered again, as he slumbered more i r leas all throngh the oonr e of the twenty-four hours, i Martha was troubled. She went to her own little ro’m—a cheerful attio, with an extensive view of half-a-dozen backyards, ornamented with broken crockery, and inhabited mostly by irresponsible cats, who performed at night extensive selections of concerted musio, which would have driven the moat confirmed organ-grinder mad Had Martha known something of the musio of the future she might have discerned in these efforts a remarkable resemblance to some of Wagner’s moat recondite compositions.

Her concern, however, was not so mnch with the music of the future as with the pain of the present. This proposal from Samoiedes disturbed her exceedingly. There was some tie between him and her father which she did not understand—at whose nature, indeed, she could scarcely even gness. For hoars together, and for years past, these two had been accustomed to bold mysterious conferences, whioh invariably made Emmanuel more drowsy than a anal, and that was a sure symptom of mental disquiet. When he was happy ho was always wakeful, and his daughter learned to read the state of his mind from the duration of his slumber.

She knelt at the open window, looking out into the air, which rang with a thousand discordant street cries. Bnt little did she head the clamour from without. The new an-1 mighty fear which had suddenly sprung np In her mind banished for the time being every other thought. That fear would have been Increased tenfold if she could have known that at that very moment Samoiedes was down below conversing with her father. He came In a few minutes after she retired from the room. He was a short thick set man, with a long body, and with an absurdly small allowance of legs. In his face was depicted as much of evil as nature oonld well crowd together in so limited a space. His thick lips and sunken gleaming eyes, hla snub nose (the bridge of whioh had been operated upon by a militant costermonger), hia prominent cheek-bones and his ponderous jaws, made up a countenance which would have suited any of the lighter professions, from a burglar down to a dog stealer. And yet Samoiedes was honest in his way. He drove hard bargains of course, and ho never inquired too closely into the history of property offered to him for sale. Like many other good men Samoiedes had to struggle with adveroity, and for him adversity was represented by his face. He shook the old man rather roughly. Anything bat a gentleman was this unpleasant looking visitor, even when engaged in a matrimonial project, 1 la that you ? ’ Emmanuel said, in as wide awake a tone as he ever assumed.

’ Of course it la ; who do you suppose It is ? ’ was the rongb answer; and Samoiedes seated himself on the cha r whioh Martha had vacated ; 1 1 don’t look much like a ghost, do I? ’ ‘No.’ Emmanuel was forced to admit that ho was anything rather than a ghost; and jndging from the look of unconcealed dislike npon his face, the old man would have been sorry If the fact were otherwise. • Have yon spoken to her ? ’ ‘Tea, I have.’ * And what did she say ? ’ Samoiedes demanded very eagerly. •That she would have nothing to say to yon on any account.’ ‘ Why ? * And the evil face darkened ominously,

Emmanuel hesitated. Should he tell this 1 mr a of Martha’s attachment to Karl 7 There | vr /OTa reasons why he should not; and yet, perhaps, it would bo the safer course to adopt. Ho compromised. * I believe, my friend, that she loves somebody else,’ he said, in a tone which wts intended to be confidential ; ‘ in fact, I know she does. It is a way they have got, you know. When a man wants to marry a particular girl the chances are a thousand to one that she has picked up somebody else beforehand.’ Samoiedee watched the old man curiously as he delivered this unusually long speech. * Let us understand eadh other, my good friend,’ he said slowly and emphatically; you remember our old home at Kasan, do you not*’ * Can I ever forget it,’ the old man murmured.

‘Yes, I think you can occasionally,’ was the savage rejoinder; ‘ and I do not mean that you should until I have married the lovely Martha. When the Russian troops set fire to the village and mnrdered half its inhabitants, who dragged you to the woods and fed yon there ? Who carried your child in his arms ? Who buried your slaughtered wife and son? Who brought yon to this country, and ’ ‘You did—you did!’Emmanuel walled very piteously. He saw how strorg was the hold which this man had upon him, and through him upon Martha. ‘I did ; yea, you are right there—l did,’ chuckled his tormentor gleefully ; ‘ and I did something more. When you were chosen to shoot—well, you know who—l sav d you from the police, did I not ? Ah I yon were a man then, Emmanuel—not an old woman to bo cajoled by a girl’s tongue. Still, it would be a pity, although you are old and neeleas, to end yunr life on the scaffold, won dit not I There aro pleasanter modes of leaving life, 1 fancy.’ A sickly pallor spread over the old man’s face. He would have fallen forward into the fire if he had not clutched the table tightly for support, • What do you mean ?’ he gasped. * Simply this: Martha becomes my wife three weeks hence, or the police shall know who shot—your late lamented friend from Russia.’ And again Samoiedes chuckled at his own hideous joke. The old man turned himself half round in his chair, and looked at his tormentor appra'ingly. ‘ls it thus that the children of Poland behave towards one another? ’ he said ; ‘do they first of all compel one of their number to execute the decree of secret justice, and then use their knowledge to drive unwilling

maidens into their arms 7 Has it indeed come to this ? ’

* It has/ was the dogged reply s * Martha will marry me, or you shall suffer for it; and our secret committee shall approve of my conduct. I will not suffer your daughter to wed a stranger.' ‘What if her choice were no stranger?’ the old man said incautiously. Samoiedes became almost livid with wrath. He knew in a moment who the favored suitor was. 1 Is that so ? ’ he exclaimed ; Karl is my riva l , ii he? That miserable German who ever prates of mad means and constitutional measures, tbongh he has felt .Russian steel and seen the inside of German prisons Karl is the man 1 Well, well, we shall see ! ’ And he went ont, with a scowl of hate on hi-) sinister face which boded no good to the man who had crossed his path. {To he continued.)