LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2538, 27 May 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

WHO IS HE? OR LOVE AT SIGHT. • I wonder who he is ?' And Lady Glenfelix, as ehe uttered this sentence half alcui, lay back in her comfortable barouche, while a smile stole over her aweet face. Lady dlenfelix was a beauty, and a retiring modest, exquisitely lovely woman. The daughter of a country clergyman, she had married at saventeen. Lord Glenfelix had gono id to Buckinghamshire on a visit to his cousin, Sir Francis Deane, and over the top of ft high, old-fashioned Bheepfold pew he had espied the pretty face of the vicar's daughter. Within a week he begged for her hand, and in loss than a month they were married. Five years have passed away since then, and Lady Glenfelix is a widow—a sweet, girlish, fresh looking young widow of twenty-two! She has a house in Oharleß street; carriage?, jewels, and a jointure of five thousand a year. Some people are born under a lucky star. Miranda, Lady Gle felix, was one of these people. ' I won'er who who he Is ?' she repeated every now and again to herself, as her barouche rolled along through the London streets that warm June afternoon.

•The "he" was a good locking man of about five and-thlrty, of whom she had but caught a glimpse. During that momentary look, however, ahe had seen something which so impressed her, that during the entire afternoon ahe could think of nothing else. It was on leaving her own house in her carriage, while turning the corner of Charles street into Berkely-squore, that a gentleman stood waiting to cross the road; he glanced casually first at the earl's coronet on the carriage, then at the faoe of the countess, and appeared so electrified at the beauty of the latter that the countess could not forego a smile—a smile which the stranger saw and appreciated ere, amid the turmoil and fuss of busy life, they were parted, never, perhaps, to meet again. He went straight to his olub, and talked of the beautiful countess to several of his friends, who rightly concluded than Miranda, Lady Glenfelix, he had seen. Binoß her marriage Lady Glenfelix had turned men's heads by the score; hence sadden and violent admiration should have been no novelty to her. Yet, in spite of all she could do or think, she oould not resist the impression that Bho had never received bo striking a proof of what the power of her beauty could effect as ahe had done to-day. She paid visits, as usual, to several of her intimate friends, who soon began to remark that something was pressing on Lady Glen fellx's mind, as ahe had suddenly thrown off that cheerful mood and that anxiety to enter into the details of other people's hopea and joya whioh had hitherto been hablteal to her, and which had gained for her the reputation among her friends of being one of the most amiable of women.

Overcome with curiosity to know who the gentleman was whose admiring glance had so impressed her, one day she drove Into the park with the self-avowed intention of looking for him. She scanned the Jehus in the Row, looked at the chairs, and even ordered her coachman to stop at the corner of the drive that she might oarefnlljr scrutinise the faces of the many flaneurs who were loitering by the railings ; but all in vain. Several of the gentlemen took their bats off to her, and one or two oame up to speak —but he wasn't there.

About half-past six she said ' Home,' in a tired, feeble voice, and drove back to Charles street, disappointed with her afternoon's adventure. .After twenty minutes'rest, still dreaming of the stranger, she dressed and went out to ft proay dinner at the house of an old field officer, and was placed between two male fossils, No, there was no chance of meeting ' him ' there ; but at Lady Beatrice Carleton's, where ahe was going later, ahe could Burely expect to see him or to find out who he was for Lady Beatrioe was reported to be acquainted with all the fine men In London.

The party was a crowd. One of those highly-oovetod crowds, where rank, beauty and wealth jostle each other. Lady Glenfelix, when emerging from the room In whioh ahe had taken off her clotk, was met by a certain Lord Randolph Burnet, and with his assistance she accomplished the somewhat difficult feat cf making the tour of the rooms.

She did net inquire whether Lord Randolph was waiting in the hall on purpose to escort her, whioh in all probability he was, but ahe took his arm gratefully, and made use of his escort to discover, if possible, the unknown person who for the moment engaged her whole thoughts. Of course Lord Randolph would hardly have been so accommodating if he had known her object But " he " was not there, and Lady Glenfelix had to content herself with the unqualified elevation of the cavalier she now found lingering by her aide. It had begun to be whispered in society that Miranda, Countess of Glenfelix, was going to marry this fair-haired yonng scion of the aristocraoy. Though aha had not yet pledged her word, her friends were not far wrong in their aurmiae, since ahe had all but made up her mind to wed Lord Randolph. She believed she liked him well enough; at least ahe had told herself so over and over again. But to-night she looks at hia fair hair and wishes it waa black ; the unknown's hair is black. She decided that Lord Randolph is too thin and lanky; the other ia broadshouldered—a large, tine man. Altogether Lord Randolph has lost ground, and though he knows nothing of the meeting at the corner of Charles street, he does not fail to eee that he \a scarcely as high in Lady Glesfe Ix's favor t>s usual. .Lord Randolph does not make any remark, however; he has [been a lady's man ever since he left Eton, and he knows full well that women are capricious; therefore he concluded that any notice on his part of Lady Glenfelix's present caprice would probably fan a mere whim into a troublesome quarrel. And be was right; for when the beautiful Miranda at last reached home and diamiised her maid, she sat down to think matters over in the privacy of her own apartment. She decided that ahe had ' behaved ' Intolerably to that dear, long-suffering Randolph : and all, too, because a stranger had gazed admiringly at her at the corner of a street. She could not conceive what had made her so foo ish; but she would not think any more about that curious rencontre, and ahe would be awfully nice and kind and tender to Randolph when she met him on the morrow.

When she went to bed at night she dreamt of the stranger ; when she got up in the morning, and sat taking her breakfast in her pretty boudoir, dressed in the moat becoming of light blue peignoirs, she thought of him again, and wondt-red what he was doing, and whether he had ever bestowed a second thought on her. The beginning of July was arrived. It waa hot, sunny, genial weather, and the fair countess consented to accompany a party of her moat intimate friends to Henley, for the regatta. It was the first time Lady Glenfelix had ever been to Henley; and the beauty of the surrounding scenery, the gay colors worn by the boaters, the sun dancing on the shimmering water— in faot the whole scene so impressed her, that ahe became quite excited, tnd looked even more lovely, ii that were possible than waa her wont.

Lord Randolph, of oourse, was of _ the party, and suggested that they should hire a boat, and go for a row on the water; but the countess was nervous.

' There was too great a crowd,' she said ; 1 ahe would rather sit in the shade in the garden sloping to the river, and watch the scene.'

Some of the party decided, however, for a boat, and as gentlemen who were also good oarsmen were scarce, Lord Randolph must, though somewhat against his will, accompany them. Lady Glenfelix seemed la such wonderfully good spirits that he had resolved that day to put the momentous question : bat now he would not have the opportunity in consequence of this water party, Grunbe though he might, however, she remained in her shady corner with old General Fremantle in attendance, than whom she could not have had a Eafer or more steady-going knfght, watching what was going on around her her. All of a sudden she gave a little start. There wad a man talking to some ladies abaut ten yards off—her stranger 1 'Too bad of him,'she thought, •to cross ber path again, when she had almost forgotten him 1' • Who is he?—that man there?' she i sired the general, in an excited tone of voice.

'Mr Donman,' answered the genenl who made a point of knowing everyone ; «he is a nephew of Lord Blrkdale'a—Lady Clara Denmau's son.

* Do you know him ?' j • Not perHonally—only by sight; he ia a good-looking fellow.* « Ye-es,' with a shrug. Lady Glenfelix had no intention of aoknow'edglng t:o much to the general, tho rather as be did not know the gentleman. She looked round to see if any of his acquaintances were speaking to him, for Mr Denman had left the two ladies with whom he was conversing when ehe first peroeivad him, and had sauntered up towards the gate. She was quite delight.d to find he was ' one of us,' as she had predicted, though her spirits were a little dashed by his not having taken the slightest notice of her. Another minute or two, and he had gone out of the gate ; and when it became evident that he would not return, her amusement for that afternoon were at an end. She took no further interest in the gay doings that were proceed around her. ' The party who had elected to upend the time in boating found the river pleasant and cool, so it was a long time before they came baok.

At rlx o'olook, when they did so, Lady Glenfelix had worn oat every fhred of conversation with the general, and was la such an unusually bad temper that her dearest friends were very much provoked with her. Lord Randolph ventured to ask what was the matter ; but she answered so shortly, that he olearly saw his chance for that day at least was gone. And he had made this Henley party expressly that he might bring matters to a climax !

Someone suggested that it would be delightful to stay and dine by the river. There were plenty of trains that would take them baok to town later.

Lady Glenfelix said, rather testily, that she had no intention of doing anything of the sort. She was tired to death of the whole thing and did not think a Henley regatta wonld ever Bee her again. She had ordered her carriage to be at the Paddington Station at half-past seven, and she hoped to be there herself by that time. Lord Randolph, of course, at once volunteered to escort her ; and a certain Mr and Mrs Paisley Brown, who had an ongagemant in London which obliged them to return by the first available train, would also travel in the same carriage The quartette left for the station, which was not more than five miuates' walk from the lawn by the river, where they arrived just as a train was starting, and were hurried by an official into a carriage. At the further oorner of it sab Mr Denman. He looked rather hard at Lady Glenfelix when he saw her first, as though trying to remember where they had met before. Though there was not the came look of admiration on his face that his first glance at the oorner of Charles street had evinced—perhaps ha was in a different mood—still the expression betokened interest, and Lady Glenfelix, though she would not have acknowledged it even to herself, felt a strange flutter at her heart as he gazed at her. Contrasted with Lord Randolph the verdict was decidedly not in favor of the young scion of nobility. Mr Denman was a tall, fair, striking-looking man, who on all possible occasions wore a low hat and shooting coat, in preference to a London ' get-up,' and, though his linen was Irreproachable, his ties were scarcely over arranged with care. In fact, his whole costume bordered on the semi - Bohemian. Mrs Paisley Brown, who was a little dashing woman that hated nilenoe, sought once or twice to wake Lady Glenfelix from her reverie; but daring the hoar's jouroey from Henley to Paddington the latter wonld merely answer her questions in monosyllables, and drsam again. The fashionable little matron was provoked at this, and fell to flirting wieh Lord Randolph, in the hope that that would rouse Lady Glenfelix and produce some fun; but it did not.

(To he continued.')