Select Literature.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 12, 25 March 1867, Page 67

Select Literature.

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.„;;;o#*ss•!) *V’ i w-J.3- {was often, allowed, to see .him,,.and t fittle by little, gathered, his mournful, .his- .. tory fromlhis own lips, which,, joined to • . of! enquiries' I; aftef Wards made ~‘®mdng those who knew him in hispros- - •perityi ehabled me to' frame' the following account of his fait .\ May it hare the effect pfiWa.rning othersin time :■—, , - ' j 'Old Squire Scarsdale had been gathered • to a his fathers■> twelve months, .before his - nephew,' George Scarsdale;, .arrived, from ; his regiment, in India possession of . Scaradale Hall and its lordly estates and ... revenue. was. a “fine, fall,'handsome fell6w, 'a little over thirty years of age, ' good' huindred almost to a fault, for he • 'could' not bear to say <c No ” t to any one. - -As a-soldier‘he had won .distinction on hivfields',where, all were brave, anti for gentlec .manly, bearing. few could. equal him.. It , was natu.rai and right that lie, should .Cali his' friends/around hini on his arrival in " England, atid ; bid them, rejoice with him at the good fortune whicir had befallen ’- 'him. Indeed, had he not invited them, >’ they would have flocked around the once -. needy captain of sepoys ; and many did come-uninvited to the hall . More than .. one,, or two, or, three of liis. guests' had . /given him the cold shoulder'iii days gone by ; meh who always had just made heavy payxhents when poor George. wanted to ' borrowiboney; who met him at’ parties '"with a Cool hod, and looked as solemn as 'judgeswhen he made a joke, JBut George •' made &11 equally welcome, and was pleased \ ,to have them slap his back, and-hear them , 'call, him. “ old fellow.” His. Erench cook .achieved wonders of art"for themj and' his 1 "Ihutier produced ‘his 1 choicest ’wines' to tickle their palates. Among themselves "' o "th¥y ■sheered’ at Scarsdale’s Indian ways '--'arid-part knowledge of English fashionable vVjife.One x exquisite, in. lemon-coloured x dtids, was in an ngony of indiguation be : - cause, when he went to bed at five o’clock • one morningafter a night at cards, he had • looked-ouT of-the Window and gave his i v ‘word'Vf honour that Scarsdale was up and 'Z outttnr with a cigar between his 1 fips;' git hiring : moss roses. ; f‘. And,”. ~ 'qdoth thb exquisite, . wiping, his brow on p-rfumed .cambric, “that sort of thing, . . .you- know, will- .not dp in life.’’ Another gentleman,-with.a. purple nose, said that . .the man who "flinched his bottle and would ...not.play-wa'&a sneak;, and as George was ' neither nOr drunkard,' the ip/ ‘ ference'Was’ plaiin.- On oue point, however,’'till/were agreed, namely, that ureorge .was a rich man'now, and ought to be pa-

tronized, which, according to their code ol -. morals, ‘meant ‘ fleeeed” to. the last penny he possessed, 'lhey did not say so openly, , ...b.ut,.ea ; ch looked wild jealous, ey e upon his neighbour, aud leaved that he would get the *■ 'first slice. Many there were who were con-

stantly disappointed of remittances.froth - tbwn, and to these George lent money - with'., bountiful hand. Others fluttered ’ him. to. obtain his interest. in forwarding . .some pet scheme, and no less than five had asked. him to return them for his pocket borough of Scarsdale. It was a very pleasant life, George thought, and a cheerful contrast to everlasting morning - drills and tne monotony, of Indian country . garrison life. , Sometimes he indeed sighed :..y when, he called to mind some dashing ex ...pipit of' his regiment in'the field, and . would glance at “his sword and sash which hung upon his bedrohin wall. On such ‘ bccasloha he would take out his well-worn J aiid, looking affectionately •at it, try to imagine .that ■ the...bugle >had just • rung out: the order to. boot ana saddle, and v .the enemy was on the move. . But half an .; hour with his friends, below would .drive • , v away all traces of discontent from his good-humoured, 'laughing'face, and he felt uo/more that “he was WaStiug-his precious time.

1 . -"^‘Hass’the-decanter,. Scarsdale/’ cried - Mr.xSeiby, one evening (himself the hardest drinker,,about town)you always keep • from v . ’ Upon my /..JWorjAl.tfimk ybu'mean ii,’as a hint for u» , ; to, pack up and be off.’’ ~ ■ - ‘‘ii’ you wait until I give you such a. / {iiinliypu will-all die here • and I’ll take,a -. yaidt v fbr s the lot in the Imbruing,” replied Gebrge, passing the J wine. 4t Brink* away, “iny 1 there's more in the'cellar, and ' plenty .to.be bought wiieawe gev through • .that,” ■ / k . : ; '/:’:/hv <:,v, . j x >A«fe-Oh, yes,-it’s all :very vWell/to' pass the “•i'-'i wine, but not to. help ypurself seems to re--h'.pmach'..w:-.}])!dl^ v it.- Bill your , .glass, ; man, imless you’ve turned teeto- .* “ Gad, X do believe he has,” cHed . another >t “ and. has got a.dispehsa'tioh just to. take: three gl&Sses a day during our 'atay. ■' him to the • : pump tp water twice a day, and then give - i-nun a' bramTnash' and apeck of bats, after the manner of: horses'; ,who.vwould drink coliid get it, and knew how good it was.”_. . r:V. eaid • • best hunter.’against Isix--. ; peiibe that cannot si tb " diink wine but l’vii known uiany ’a dbnv;"V!ikey any education a.t all.” ""'i/Aid wVlPwakh it; downin’ Eill ■ gentlemehi and»we’ll dimk' '-A»morp;thpbopghl)red

geritleinaii 1 riever'kiie'w; but. Itell hfra td his; ’ jfa'Co/th'at ! ;b'e"'.Hßs a* ebons' fault; ' and liquor lifcV 1 a' jinan, —in moderation, or course; iget?, [drunk noWi-a-days j, -. bat .bang ity la bottle of goodi after dinner is nothing —a mere nothing.” /■ i . ; v...v-i - " J ipere nothih^f'ecboed the ting.;. But; they took .care ;to. adjpiira'jtb ithe (billiard-roonr "When he i was- excited enough for their purpose, and, he sat down to play at rouge-et noir. Then came the craving Tor ffiore winV for thewine’si sake'.; gre'wujiori',wh£twtofcto queriqq itV tlie plina’ : impulse to‘coihiniit absurd, actions then a'riqnfiißed' Voices,. albli^^. anjdrneact.juj orriirig !a caching headache,'and a dread of nsirig- to, inhale the fragrant summer,;air.j j. - “ Ah, my boy,” -cried Selby, lounging into the room in his : d;rqsririg*gown,. 4 fAre you.; not up : yet ?,.- Why,; it’s ,near- noon. Shall'* I .tell yoiir ‘ man to bring.breakfast up?” '•• •; ; ■ . “tf yoa will be good enough. You know I was drunk last night—more 9 fool I” '

“ I know nothing' of . the .kind! You may have got drunk after, you left .us, but you were sober enough when you went to bed; ?IS grant you that I. was ; rather touched, but-then yoU hit two .or tlireeof us'so heavily that -we-might beexcased fof revenging ourselves oriyour cellar.” ' . “Did I •win ? ” . •' J “ Whafc a question. How dull you ,are this morning. I’ll give two thousand for your pocket book and contents, cash down. What do you say ? are you-on ? ' •- George took his pocket-book from his doat Arid examined it. It-contained two or thfee.l. O. U.’s aud notes and gold for fiiteeti hundred pounds^ “I had no idea'Of this, Selby;, this money., must be'returned. .Take your I. O. U.” . - ; “ When I play, sir,” exclaimed Selby; angrily, “ I play to win or lose, as fortune smiles or frowns; but I don’t play to fce insulted in this manner.” ~ -“Nay; Selby, I didn’t mean; to offend you, but it doesn’t seem right that I should invite people here in: order .to win money of:them.”;, . . “ Nonsense, man, stupid; If yOu want to get rid- of it, ypn; will, of course!- give us our .revenge ; and when you have lost it all you. can- leave the table.” . '

“ Then you shall have your revenge tonight,. if .that .be. alii, and I hope I shall Ipse.” ~..L hope so t 00... But here c.omAs„l»reakr fast, ..and- brandy and - sodawater. Our fathers used to, .drink small, bper ,aftpr a bout, hut for their sons was reserved the liixury, of sodawater. Now, let me mix it.”

- Pouring four wine glasses'full of strong brandy into a large tumbler! lie r poured the iced; sodawater on it, and presented the ‘ hissing . compound to Geprge,. who drained it.'to .tlie last drop..' V ' r

“ That’s delicious.. It cools me and yet. warm's me, if you can understand such a paradox,*’--.-.'- :- . ;- , j “ Ohj can’t l,” returned Selby, laughing “Your milk and water teetotaler would have.gone to the pump,- and taken a disgusting draught'of wafer, hut it requires a higher. order of civilisation to appreciate such tipple as that. I’ll put a wine glassful in your coffee, and .then leave you to it, and if;you don’t feel"a different man after breakfast, I’ll take my I. O. U. baek.” Night came with the usual drink and play, and George.'again rose a winner to a large amount. Then luck changed, and he lost ‘largely, drank, to drown remorse, aud played to retrieve his losses; He had passed the rubicoh ; lie had yielded to temptatiou, and was•,now : on- the downward path to ruin. What need of entering into particulars t It was the old, old story over again. Fitful efforts to stem the current winch was bearinginm away. Partial reformation-, succeeded by more hideous successes blighted .love, ruined hopes, lost friends,;. ruined reputation. He had sown the win'd and reaped tho whirl wind.,,. The last, acre was sold, the last guinea spent, and then the great'capital. received another lost soul, to sink loWer,' and lower,-until ;the once jhighmirided' soldier and gentleman' came.to be the “Gentleman George”., of . London* road;' the hero of half a hundred polibecourt scene's, who now lay in a workhouse, dying;of a wound caused by a broken ginbuttle.. ■ ,