Tales and Sketches.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 12, 15 April 1871, Page 17

Tales and Sketches.

LEFT IN THE HANSOM. (From the Family Hebald.) CHAPTER I. One of tbose unintelligible delays which go often occur in the experience to those accustomed to much travelling upon our railways had already allowed the minute hand of the large white faced clock at one of our metropolitan railway stations to accomplish a considerable sweep beyond the point at which the Leawood train should have taken leave of the»oppressively hot station, during, the early afternoon of a most sultry July day. The fierce sun shone, or blazed, unmercifully through the glass roof of the terminus, under which was assembled so much life and activity. Trains which left early in the morning, while the fresh dew of the night still lingered upon their tops, were already returning to the busy city covered with innumerable blisters, which had arisen upon them during the period of exposure to the extreme heat, which caused the idle Blumbering of the productive fields and meadows, through which they had so recently passed, to contrast strangely with the life and bustle going on in the thronged thoroughfares of the metropolis. Porters, with their peculiar skill, steered huge trucks of luggage through intricate passages, caused by the magic words. ' By yer leave,' which never fail to effect an opening upon, the most densely crowded platform. The official ticketed * Office Porter' was taking advantage of any space which might occur upon the dusty planks to administer for the benefit of the travellers generally, copious showers of the cooling element contained in a large green watering pot —an occupation which the individual in question appeared to deem much beneath the dignity of his position, as a member of the small apartment off the platform, having painted upon its door, in unmistakable characters, the word ' Private.' The offended officer was not altogether without sympathy, however, for his perspiration good uaturedly ran down his indignant features, and assisted him in his merciful task. Ticket collectors stood saluting first class compartments, while porters caused the arched roof of the terminus to echo with the reports of the professional violence with which they shut the carriage doors of the seeonds and thirds. Fortunately for our readers, we have not further to detain them in what we can compare to nothing save an immense oven; for the train has already taken that short backward movement which seems so necessary to its starting at all, ag the dogged retreat of a sulky ram is essential to the success of the blow which he'meditates giving to an already fallen enemy. In one of the compartments of the at last fairly started train, there were three persons. The inner corner seat was occupied by a lovely girl, of perhaps some nineteen Summers, whose beauty could not fail to attract the attention, if not the admiration, of the most steeled against the charms of her sex. A complexion of the fairest might perhaps have subjected her to the objection of that want of expression so often found, even in those of universally acknowledged beauty, had not the nobly formed head and expressive eyes, which harmonised so completely with every expressed emotion, so securely placed her beyond the reach of the criticism of the most acute fault finder. Her abundant hair, which was of the color most suited to so fair a complexion, was arranged with exquisite taste, and fully exposed to view, for her light travelling hat had been removed, and was coquettishly occupying the opposite seat to its fairy like owner. Seated by her side was an elderly gentleman, whose dress pointed to his sacred calling, which one could not doubt, from his venerable appearance and kind expression of countenance, had in him a trusty servant. Upon the opposite seat sat a gentleman, whose age and expression were not a little difficult to arrive at; for although his hair was of a golden yellowish tinge, such as is only found in company with fair complexions, his features were extremely dark, but it did not require a very keen inspection of them to determine that their bronzed appearance was the result of exposure to a sun, even much more severe than that making itself felt through the roof of the carriage: There was also that in his dress which distinguished its sun burnt wearer, as recently arrived irom abroad; while the interest with which he observed the couutry through which they pasßed plainly showed that he was either an entire stranger to it, or one whose home associations had been for a considerable period severed. A flowing moustache and beard covered his mouth and chin so comPhitely, that these two important indexes of character were lost to view; while the greater portion, of what was evidently a well formed nose, and the whole of his left eve and half of his broad forehead, were auke shielded from scrutiny, being covered with a linen bandage. The sleeve of his ught coat had been detached from the

garment, and had been again united to it by means of half a dozen pins. The kind hearted clergyman could not long remain a silent observer of one who had, to all appearances, recently met with a severe accident, and at once expressed a hope that no very serious injury had been sustained by his fellow traveller. ' Not serious, sir, thank you,' said he of the beard; ' but I cannot but consider myself fortunate in having escaped so lightly. The cab in which I left my hotel was run into by a carriage, the horses having mastered their driver; and while in the act of springing out, fori saw a collision was sure to take place, the crash occurred, and the next incident I recollect is being in a chemist's shop, having a rather unpleasant cut dressed.' Thus began a conversation which was the cause of much pleasure to the travellers; before proceeding with which;, however, we purpose further informing our readers concerning them. In the elderly gentleman, then, we have Mr Graham, the worthy rector of Leawood, and in the fair girl who sat near him, his niece, Agnes Yorke. Much more we need not say of them, the quiet country life of the bachelor clergyman and his niece having gone on smoothly for many years, both highly respected by the circle of the surrounding gentry in which they moved. They were likewise the objects of the love and affection of the poorer classes, amongst whom they labored unceasingly for their spiritual and temporal welfare. Mr Graham had recently come into the possession of many broad acres, and it was on business connected with this increase to his previously limited wealth that he and his neice had been up to town. Harry Hamilton—such was the name of the other oeeu'paut of the carriage—had spent nearly all his days in the far distant East, where at an early age he was called upon to conduct the affairs of the wealthy house of Hamilton St Son, his father's death throwing upon the young man the responsibility and anxiety of a house of first rate commercial reputation. The remaining members of the family, upon the sad calamity of their head's decease, returned to England, in compliance with his particular request, and their own naturally strong desire. A short visit to England had been recommended by the young merchant's medical advisers, and he not unwillingly confided the control of the business to a trusty manager, setting forth with buoyant spirits for his native land, of which he had seen so little, and remembered scarcely anything. ' And will there be any difficulty in procuring a conveyance at Leawood ?' inquired young Hamilton, in continuation of previous inquiries he had been making. ' I believe there are only two fiys in the place,' replied the rector. ' Probably you will be successful, and secure one of them ; if not, and you have a distance to go, I am afraid you will find yourself in a difficulty.' ' I am going to the Glen,' said Mr Hamilton, ' and unfortunately I am not expected, so that there is but little chance of my ' ' To the Glen !' repeated the rector, a welcoming smile lighting up his features, while a similarly pleasing expression flashed over the face of his neice. ' Par don me then, but you must be Mr Hamilton.' ' The same,' replied the merchant, cordially shaking the proffered hand of the delighted clergyman ; ' and in you, sir, I think I see my mother's kind friend, Mr Graham, and in the lady my sister's everlasting theme, Miss Yorke.' The frankly offered hand of the young girl was eagerly taken by Harry. His presumption was correct —there was no mistaking it. * Then you need not concern yourself about your conveyance to the Glen, as we drive through it on our way home, and will have the pleasure of taking you with us.' The merchant returned his thanks for the kind offer; and the conversation continued, most lively during the rest of the journey. CHAPTER 11. On the morning following the events recorded in the preceding chapter, the greatest stranger could not have failed to observe that an event of uncommon interest to the good people of .Leawood was but in that early stage at which are to be found, both those who deny its existence altogether, and those who are content to wait patiently until fact confirms rumor. But as the morning grew older, and the sources from which the information was received became more reliable, the most doubting of the inhabitants wereeompelled to receive the sad intelligence of the death of their rector. The venerable teacher had at last succumbed- to Death, for whose coming the good man had for half a century been preparing others, as well as himself. When the excitement which is always experienced upon our first hearing df the occurrence of an event for which we had previously considered ourselves prepared, but at the moment of its real appearance are as much surprised as if it had been

altogether unexpected, had somewhat subsided, those who htfd given the greatest evidence of astonishment upon hearing the sad tidings were the first to console their neighbors with the assurance that the calamity was one of which they had been long in expectation; indeed ever since the rector's last stroke of illness, when the physician who was telegraphed for had expressed the opinion that a recurrence of the attaek would have a fatal result. And as the villagers became reconciled to their loss, and began to talk of the affairs of the rectory, they expressed their respective opinions as to what use the young heiress (for as such they had always looked upon Agnes) would make of her immense wealth. Miss Hamilton hastened to iter friend as soon as the sad news of the rector's death had reached the Glen ; and upon the third afternoon the two ladies were seated near each other in the drawing room, while the young merchant sat busily writing at a table. Mrs Hamilton had assumed the direction of the affairs of the house, and was not in the apartment at the time. ' Mr Sneldon is a long time in my poor uncle's library,' said Agnes., ' Perhaps he has some difficulty with the drawers or keys. I think I had better go and assist him.' 'Wo, no, Miss Yorke/ said Harry, rising, ' indeed you must not trouble yourself. Most probably the lawyer is engaged in writing, or examining papers which may be of importance. Had he been unable to reach them, he would have made his difficulty known before this. However, to prevent his encountering any unnecessary trouble, I will offer him my assistance; and if that is not sufficient, then we will apply to you." 'Thank you,' replied Agnes—'you are very kind.' The merchant looked half reproachfully at her as he silently left the apartment to seek the lawyer. Harry's tap at the library door was answered promptly; and the young man, explained the object of his interruption. ' Well, I am rather at a loss, 'tis true,' said the lawyer, lifting his spectacles high up upon his forehead, and eyeing his visitor in his sharp, shrewd manner, ' perhaps you will be good enough to close the door, and give me what assistance you can ;' then sinking his voice to a very low key, he added, ' I can't find the will.' ' Indeed !' said his visitor, gravely. * Have you searched all these papers ?' ' Every one of them twice over,' replied the lawyer. ' That it is not in this room, I am convinced ; but we must make assurance doubtly sure before we breathe my impression to a living soul, which is, that it is lost; although it was but this week I placed it in the hands of my poor old friend, in our office, much against my inclination, but he was determined upon taking it with him, and of course I acceded to his request. Should it become known that it is not forthcoming, I am sure we shall have the vultures upon us before we have time to institute the necessary search for it.' 'Should the will not be found, to whom does the property go ?' inquired the mer- M chant. * To those who are no more in need of it than the man in the moon is of a night cap,' replied Mr Sneldon; ' and should they once get it within their miserly grasp that poor child is to be pitied, for she will be penniless.' 'Then we must make very diligent search for it, and endeavor, by every possible means in our power to avert such a calamity,' said the young merchant warmly. ' But we have an arrival —there are carriage w T heels.' The lawyer drew back enough of the closed window blind to enable him to see the new comers ?' a dark cloud gathered over his brow as he observed the Skinners. The search for the lost and all-important document was continued with unremitting energy, but to not avail. In the event of there being no will, the whole of the property would go to the Skinners ; and their character was but too well known to permit of any hope being entertained that their generosity would prompt them to make even the slightest allowance for the fair girl, who would be dependent upon their bounty. But of the Skinners' bounty, and its reward, we will treat in another chapter, allowing the brief space of six months to pass in the meantime. CHAPTER 111. The Glen has changed its garb of verdant green for one of spotless white. A heavy fall of snow had covered the whole of the country and rested, upon portions of tbefrozen lake, whereit had not been swept off for the accommodation of the skaters, who could be faintly distinguished in the already gathering gloom of early night, as they turned gracefully upon their skates, or skimmed away across the ice into the distance, and became lost to sight. . As had been anticipated, the Skinners made not the slightest provision for Agnes, and she had yielded to the entreaties of her friend, and the motherly command of Mrs Hamilton, to make the Glen her home. A happy group were assembled in the drawing room of the Glen House, of the

more immediate cause of which happiness we must briefly inform our readers. •The Indian merchant was too good a judge of beauty, not to be deeply impressed with that of Agnes upon the first occasion of his seeing her, while his further acquaintance with her had convinced him that she must-be the destined partne r of his joys and sorrows. The happy couple had just returned from their brief honeymoon, and were nowjoining in the Christmas festivities going on at the Glen. The company had been for some time amused with the performance of a sort of clown, or half witted creature, who, with his dog, was cutting such capers before the windows as habit had accustomed him to, or his present fancies dictated. Thus, their arrival at the front of the house had been preceded by a game of leap-frog from the gate, all the way up the carriage drive, ; both master and dog appearing as fully alive to the fun of the game as ever were the most light hearted schoolboys. But upon a false jump occurring, or anything going out of the ordinary course of things, there followed a scene at once ludicrous and affecting. The easily excited creature would hurl his tall and profusely ornamented hat upon the ground, and rapidly unbuttoning the breast of his soldier's old great coat, would bring forth from the deep recess of a huge pocket numerous ! pieces of differently colored sealing wax, i a tinder box, and a taper, when according to the nature of the irregularity done, or the calamity encountered, he would place as many seals upon his garments as he thought essential; during which operation his terrier would stand approvingly by, with his intelligent head slightly held on one side, while each exclamation of ' Flowsen! Flowsen !' from his excited master was answered by a confirmatory bark. At the completiou of his perfor- * mance, according to custom, he retired to the kitchen, there to amuse the servants, and partake of the good fare which the hospitality of Glen House ever offered to those in want. * Thomas,' said the merchant to a servant who had entered the room, ' give Flowsen that light coat of mine with the torn sleeve : it will be a gay garment for him when the warm weather comes in.' ' Yes, sir,' said the man, as he withdrew. The following morning broke tcT the entire satisfaction of those who had predicted the continuance of the seasonable weather, and to the discomfiture of those , who had anticipated the generally dreaded, thaw. An expedition across the lake had | been planned, as the source from which an appetite for luncheon was to be derived, and immediately after breakfast a gay party left Glen House with that view. Upon leaving the entrance gate a sharp turning in the road brought them upon their visitor of the previous day, who amidst numerous exclamations of ' Flowsen !' and the approving barks of his terrier, was in full operation with his seals, which he placed upon his coat with a wonderful rapidity. That something of uncommon importance had caused him to resort to his strange method of recording it, was evident to those who watched his movements; and notwithstanding the intense cold of the morning, the perspiration ran down hia agitated countenance. Having attached as many seals to his coat as the present event appeared to demand, the lunatic extinguished his taper, returning his sealing wax to his pocket, replaced his fantastic head dress, and handed a small packet to the merchant, strode rapidly away towards the forest, closely followed by his faithful attendant. 'That is my uncle's will!' exclaimed Agnes, who recognised in the packet the document which she had seen the lawyer give to the deceased rector. * Impossible!' exclaimed several voices at the same moment; ' how could it ever get into the possession of Flowsen ?' But the will it was, for the merchant had undone the fastenings, and held it aloft to their view. Amongst unanimous congratulations, there arose a chorus of ' Oh the Skinners !* -## # * # 'The rogue deserves to escape punishment for the sake of his impudence,' exclaimed Mrs Hamilton putting down the " Times" one morning shortly after the mysterious reappearance of the rector's will. ' What rogue, mamma ?' asked Agnes. 'A cab driver, dear,' exclaimed Mrs Hamilton, 'is summoned for refusing a fare, and pleads innocent, in conseqenc© of being deaf and not hearing the gentleman who hailed him. Now whoever heard of a deaf cab driver ?' ' I know one,' said the merchant looking up from his morning's letters, ' the fellow, . in whose cab I was upset, when on my way to the station, was as deaf as a doorpost. I had to climb up to his seat before I could make him understand where I wished to be driven to.' ' Was he an old man, with a long thin face, and a white coat?' eagerly asked Agnes. 'Your description agrees in all three particulars, to the best of my recollection, dear,' replied her husband. ' Then I can solve the mystery connected with my poor uncle's will,' she said.; * and I will prove to you that for six months,

you had it in your possession !'--' I ha! it!' exclaimed the astonished merchant, ... * Yes, dear, none other than yourself,' replied Agnes, 'Now just listen to my solution. If it be not right, why I shall be at liberty to try again. First, then —the cabman who drove you to the station had but ten minutes previously driven my uncle and me. My uncle, while in the cab removed the will from his side-pocket to his breast one, as he said, * for safety ; but it must have fallen down between his coats, and remained upon the floor or the cab until the horrid accident set it at liberty with some other papers, which. 1 have heard you say you happened to be examining at the time; and there can be no doubt but some kind person put it into your coat pocket when you were being removed in an insensible condition; and thus it was that it came into the possession of the half witted creature, who, upon discovering it made all haste to restore it to you. I think there can be but little doubt that the will was Left in the Hansom. B. D Jt.