LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2677, 4 November 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

FLAT REBELLION. A membeb of the local Early Rising Association passing Todfield villa at sunrise, would naturally have wondered -why Mr Nicholas Chiraford was abroad, burdened with a small travelling bag, and making his way, with palpably inconvenient speed, towards Thorton railway station, which was two miles distant. The same early rising person, repassing Todfield villa an hour later, would have wondered still more to see Miss Annabel Gare, Mr Chimford's ward, poise herself at a window and throw a bunch of flowers at a young gentleman, a stranger to the neighbourhood, who had taken up a position on the road side of the garden wall. Pursuing his meditative journey homewards, the early riser would, without doubt, have felt more and more astonished at meeting Leslie Elliot, Chimford's nephew —who had been absent from the neighborhood, to the neigborhood's bewilderment, for quite five weeks —pursuing his way in the direction of Todfield villa, as though reaching Mr Chimford's habitation before the stroke of six were a matter of the gravest import. It is not improbable that our imaginary friend; the early riser would have suspected an impending crisis in the history of Mr Chimford's household, and his suspicions would have been shrewd. Let us accompany young Elliot. In order to reach the front door of Todfield villa he had to make a detour, which disclosed the window of Miss Gare's room, with that wilful young lady lean:Hj out and conversing with the stranger, Neither of them saw him; but, when he beheld them, he paused and exclaimed, ' Well, of all the pieces of audacity I ever beheld, this is about the coolest. I would not be in either of their shoes if my nice uncle Nicholas knew. As for you, Mr Alick Eytham—well, ' words' are inevitable after what has passed, and the interview may just as well take place now as not. Bell, Bell, what a little goose you are !' After the tone of anger which thrilled t hrough his promise to have a settlement

with Mr Lytham, the new comer's halfmournful, half-annoyed allusion to the visible occupant of the upper room sounded almost comic. At that moment Mr Chiinford's ward beheld him, and withdrew her head, at the same time giving utteranceto a tiny shriek. She re-appeared on the instant, and waved her hand to the young gentleman whom Elliot had named Lytham ; waved it, but not in a beckoning manner. It was evident that she was distressed at the prospect of meeting. ' Do go away, Alick !* Elliot heard her exclaim— ' and this instant !' Adding in a lower voice, yet still distinctly audible to the approaching listener, .* But not far. Oh, dear, I don't know what is going to happen !' Mr Lytham paid no heed to the girl's vehement adjuration. Seeing this, and assured that, on the subject of meeting Elliot, he was hopelessly pig-headed, the turner to the latter, who by that time was within a few paces of her former interviewer, and said pleadingly, ' Now, Leslie, dear old Leslie, there must be no quarrelling. I will not allow it, sir ! You two must be friends. Oh, if I were not locked in !'

* Locked in 'i' rejoined Elliot. 'Yes,' she replied eagerly, glad of a chance of turning his thoughts into another channel, 'my too, too careful guardian ' ' The old hunks !' growled Elliot. ' Yes ; isn't he ?—not that I know what a hunks is ; but if it is something disagreeable, it will apply —that is, if it is disagreeable enough.' ' But why ?' * I am sure I don't know,' she replied poutingly, while Lytham looked down, a smile lurking about the corners of his mouth and eyes, ' only Alick ' Elliot showed his repugnance to the allusion by an inarticulate exclamation, whereat she said,

' You need not pull such a long face and make such horrid noises because I mention his name. You know, Leslie, it will have to be. You ought to have guessed that a long time ago ; and when I found you had not guessed • it, did I not write it all in a letter ? Well, Alick (now, you were much nicer that time) and I were walking together last evening—it was our first meeting for ever so many weeks—when he suddenly appeared on the scene (I had made sure he was at Castloborough), and—and— I am locked in.*

The temptation to laugh at her leap over the details of an interview which had procured her imprisonment, to the doleful fact of the incarceration itself, proved irresistible to Elliot, and he gave way with tolerably good grace. Lytham laughed also.

' But it was no laughing matter, I assure you.' Leslie was not yet far enough gone on the road to a reconciliation with his successful rival as to accept information from him concerning his uncle—;who,. after all, was his uncle, and this young lady's guardian.

'Alick.' (Elliot retired within himself still further.) 'Now, Leslie, I thought you had done with those long faces. He (i.e., her uncle) is resolved, he says, to see if the law cannot aid him in putting an end to —well, to Alick's seeing me. Can it ?' 'What?' replied Leslie gruffly. 'The law.'

' When the law gets a start, aided by malice and money, justice has no chance —for a time. . You must recollect, Bell, that you are a ward.' v * Oh, I know, Leslie, and also an infant. I have no will of my own yet. But, Leslie, could they put Alick in prison ?' Replied Lesliejjwith an imperturbable face—he felt that he was making Lytham uneasy— ' Certainly. The law can do that, and take him out again. And, if he have the means to pay the lawyers and the fees of the Court, the law can confer on him the inestimable privilege of bringing an action against some one or other for false imprisonment.* Annabel looked at her silent lover with tears in her eyes, and, ' Well they shan't! They shall put me in prison first! Now, you two must shake hands. Do, Leslie ; I shall feel unhappy if you do not.' Eliot hesitated a moment, and then held out his hand, which Lytham grasped with fervor. '

* Lytham,' he said, in a voice which he vainly endeavored to make steady. 'I meant to be rough with you, for I had cause. I shall always believe that if she had never seen yon she might have learnt to like me well enough to —. But there ; you've had the luck, old chap. She loves you—.* ' Oh, you dear good Leslie ; if you say much more in that strain you will make me regret my choice.' ' No, Bell; you do not quite oemprehend yourself just at present. It will be all right. Now listen, Alick Lytham. I am done with this uncle of mine ; he has behaved to me about as scurvily as he could, which is saying a great deal. His capacity to be nasty is enormous. "Well, rely on me. I am no longer your rival, old man ; I am your friend—and dear Bell's. We must lay our heads together to defeat Mr Nicholas Chimford's schemes. Now, Bell, make yourself temporarily invisible; and, if you take my advice, you will pack up in as small a compass as possible, all the valuables belonging to you that you can lay hands on. You don't know how soon they may be required.' Alick Lytham and Leslie Elliot drew apart and discussed the situion. It might be that anger had made him unjust to his uncle, Elliot said; but he could not help thinking that there were scarce any lengths to which the accomplished old schemer would not go to gain hi 3 ends. Chimford had thrown him (Flliot) over in a letter he had received the night before, a letter that .had brought, him there express to pack up his traps and leave forthwith. Oh, he had prospects ! The little money he possessed would enable him to buy a partnership in a house in the City, whose principal—a young fellow just starting in business—was a chum of his. That would give him just what he longed for—change. It was his intention to travel for the firm.

.'I had another motive incoming here with such expedition ; I wanted to get it over.'

'ldo not understand you.'

' Well, then, I meant to make a last appeal. However, that is gone. Since she has elected to have you, old chap, I must do my utmost to promote the welfare of both.'

* Thank you,' said Lytham, simply. * And endeavor to find for myself somebody nearly * her marrow,' to use the dear old north country phrase. Now, to return to uncle Chimford, It is my opinion that his chief motive for getting me out of the way was to prevent mo from finding him out.'

* In what ?* asked Lytham. ' I can hardly tell you. At present I have little beyond suspicions to go upon. Concorning one of these I must be silent at present. Another—Well, guardians have married their wards before to-day, old chap.' ' Elliot! Why, in this case, at any rate, the idea of such a thing is too monstrous !' ' Just now, yea ; and to her it would be, I should hope, for years to come. But ■with you and me out of the way, with a spirit worn out, as dropping water wears a channel in a stone, there are many ways such a thing might happen, even in this ease. You must get her to give you the right to protect her. You must—' 'Marry?' queried Lytham, with eyes wide open in wonder and admiration. * Yes. Now, come with me.*

Elliot, preceding Lytham up the gardenwalk, pulled vigorously at the front door bell. The summons was slowly answered by the owner of a footstep of lead. When the door opened, Elliot exclaimed, 'Yorkshire Bob !'

' Ay, sir, that's me,' replied a loutish individual of about fifty, with a vacant grin. ' Whore's your wife ? —the housekeeper,' added Elliot, by way of explaining matters to Lytham. 'Up at toon. T' two bit lasses left last neet, and she wi' them. She's comin' back at ten. They're not. She an' rue's to look after t' house while maisther and Miss Gare goas abroad.' 'To be sure. Your wife has the keys V'J 'Noa, I have, all but one—t' key o Miss Gare's room. Maisther took that wi' him.'

'To be sure he did. Now look here, Bob. I have come here to pack up my traps, for I am going abroad too. Now, while my friend lends me a hand you can step across to Brinsloy's, and ask Mr Tom to let you have that rook-riflo which he borrowed of me. You remember when ?' ' I do/ ' By the time you return I shall be ready to start.'

' All right, sir.' ' Look hero, Bob; I don't mind your whetting your whistle once at the Cow and Snuffers on your way back; but only once mind. We want to catch the ten train. Saying which, Elliot gravely placed a florin in the capacious palm of Yorkshire Bob, who thereupon stopped forth ,bi*iskly in the direction of—the Cow [and Snuffers. » To be continued.