LITERATURE.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 9, 21 November 1887, Page 4

LITERATURE.

UNDER THE SHADOW

CHAPTER IV—Continued. This is an old friend of mine, Iris, ho said slowly and distinctly. Ah, yes 1 an old friend ! murmured the ■vicilor, flashing his rmile upon her. Knighton, I am right in guessing that this charming young lady is y< nr daughter! Tt is so ? lam delighted! Do me tim hononr, Knighton, to introduce im ! I loathe each moment that keeps us strangers, and he made Iris a swift, subtle kino of bow. Wi|to stern, set face, Godfrey Knighton looker! from one to the other, then he said, -- Iris, this Signor Ricarde, an [old friend, as I have said, from Italy. From the sunny south, from the land o r beauty I remarked ienor Recardo. From your land, Miss Iris ! Yes, I am an old friend, of your father’s, —he paused and smiled sweetly upon tire stern face ot bis host, and your mother’s. Iris held out her hand, and taking it in his white, long, fingers, bowed over it until his lips almost touched it. Then he drew himself to his full heigh' flung his cloak open, and regarding Godfrey Knighton with a steady smile, said— My friend, you look admirable ; Miss lr s is—ah, bah ! I have no words ; and your place,—well, it is magnificent, princely ! I cannot express the joy I feel at being with you I And you did not get my letter ? No ! said Godfrey Knighton. But lam pleased to see you, he said slowly. Out dinner is almost ready. Will you go to your room V and ho moved towards the door, but the signor stretched out his hand and laid it on the sleeve of the squire’s dress coat.

No ! lie said with a smile. You slia! not incommode yourself ! The servants shall show mo my apartments I No core mony, my dear Knighton ; remember, 1 am an old irieml! The squho stood still and signed to n footman, ami tho signor, bestowing a smile and a reverential bow upon Lis, was ushered out. Iris waited until tho door had closed, then turned to her father. What a strange person ; she said Imlflaughing, and yet wi;h a singular feeling of uneasiness and dislike. What did you say his name was ? Eicardo, Ricardo, Godfrey Knighton replied, his eyes fixed on the door by which the visitor had gone. I uover heard you speak of him, sin paid. JSo, I have not seen him, hoard of him for years! ho said, speaking slowly and pravely, bis face set darkly and sternly. I knew him years ago in Italy—-a long while ago I He did mo a—a certain service. I could not refuse to receive him. Iris regarded him with surprise. Why, no, father ! Why should you re fuse to receive an oh] friend ? And he knew my mother ? she added softly and padly. Iho squire moved uneasily and turned his face Still further from her. Iris, ho said, and hh voice sounder harsh and strained ; you have alwnyr been a good an: dutiful girl. Father! Jsha murmured surprised am. .waiting, Yest Always good and dutiful, and loving. Listen to me. This man, Sign >r Eicardo —he—ho may seem inclined tr talk of—of the past. You will not encourage him. You will remember that—that anything connected wilh—with you mothoMs painful-very and deeply painful to mo : and you will not encourngs 1 im? There was a tone of ncuto pain and anguish, almost, as it seemed, of fear, in her father’s voice, that Iris turned to him cud put her baud on his arm as she replied— You know 1 will not. Good, good, ho said. Yes, I can trust you. 1 hero was silence for a moment, then Iris SaidWill ho stay long ? The squire frowned. flow can I tell. You would not have mo send him away ? Ho has come a long distance—from Italy, I expect. Send him away ? she laughed. As if anybody .would bo sent away from the Revels by Godfrey Knighton, whose hospitality was Arabian in its extent and ihotoughncs?. No, no, he said. I don’t think he will stay tong. Then ho went to tho table and took up a book he had laid d'wn, asif the conversation were concluded, and Iris stood and waited for the reappearance, of the guts;. In a few minutes ho came in. Ho was in evening diess, and short as the time had been he had evidently made his toilette with some care.

X have kept dinner waiting ! Pcrdon ! ]<e said spending out his hands. It is all ill© fault of your trains I I thought Eng lish trains were always punctual! Miss Ids will extend her forgiveness to a traveller I The dinner gong sounded at this moment, and Godfrey iv ighton advanced to oiler his arm to Ids ns ratio], but the Signor glided in between them. Not so, ho said, in a silky voice. It ia my privilege as a visitor. Miss Ida will honour her father’s old friend with her a,m. Godfrey Knighton drew hack, and Im lad the tips of her fingers on tho Signor’s arm, and ho led her into tha dining room. By the light which fell from tho shaded lamp over iho table, Lie regarded tho Signor with more curiosity than sho had bestowed upon him in the drawing room. Certainly he was anything but ugly, or even plain. His dark hair waa closedy cut ; there was scarcely a line in the clear, oval face. He might be of any age between five and twenty nnd forty. Looking at }»sm carefully, Ins saw that he had a sear on the right temple, but it had not disgured his face, and it only showed itself when be smiled. She noticed again that his hands were white nnd shapely, but it was not until ha had taken up his spoon for tho soup that aim remarked their peculiar facility of expression. Tbs long fingers seemed to have a voice, like so many tongues, and to ho as expressive as another person’s eyes. Stern and grim, Godfrey Knighton sat at the head of the table ; in solemn silence iho bu'ler and footmen waited, but neither th«Bt ,,! n taciturnity of his ho-t, nor the magnificence of iho .surroundings s emeu to awe Signor r ieardo. As ho partook of Ms soup ha talked, now to uodtrey Knighton, and now to Iris. No pen could describe iho horrots of your Channel, Miss Iris. Ah, oao. It was terrible. Nothing but the thought ih it I should soon meet my dear—my very do u old friend, your father, would have c »n----soled me, 1 landed, I came straight here, and here I am. under the roof of my o d friend the—ah, what do you call it V be squire of the itarels.

Is this you* - first visit to Eng sand ? sniO Ir-8. feeling that she most say something. Jlv firfcl, ho answered. 1 have Iman. ru!!; hj of viair cir.rtniiimrimiy. M ss Ir;hi;;, nil. ;;o, 'hi-- is not your countn ! I;y is your country . Take some wine, Godfrey Knighton broke in, in a stem voice, But lam English, said I;is, smilingly—quire English ! Bah ! said the Signor, and his fingers seemed to say Bah ! 100. You are Italian one half of you at any rale. Once an Italian, always an Italian. Is it not so, my friend ? and ho appealed to Godfrey Knighton. My daughter ia English in leaching and Gaining ana instinct, he said .sternly, Thai lor your teaching and training, retorted the sigm r, and he snapped his fingers. The bignorina is Italian I tell you. Ah ! how the years roll on. Bu they roil very smooth y over you. Knighton. Yes, indeed, you seem no older than when I saw ) cm in Florence Try that salmi, broke in Godfrey Knighton. do the dinner progressed. Whcncvii Ihe Hgnor rsferred to Italy and the pas'. Godfrey Knighton interrupted him ; aim bt last, when the u s.--e. - t made its appearance, Iris res., and the bignor, gliding from ids chair, opened the door lor her. The hutier hud the el oi e ih i ear 'a Bose upon the table and left tire room, and Godfrey Knichton, looking sternly at iris guest, who was holding tire glass ol ruby-coloured wine before lire light, said, — Whut does ihis mean, Ricardo ?

This what ? demanded the fcignor, miring hia eyebrows. Why no you come here? asked Hhc squire of Knighton and Beverley. Why do 1 come heie? retorted tin signor, Saints and angels, where else should 1 come when I am hqEngland bu to my obi friend Knighton ? mid lie threw .. pt-diarly . unpleasmu smile across tin table, But why, why ? demanded the rquirc. stem y and impatiently. The Signor th. tigged his shoulders. If you will have it bluntly, after tin manner of your race,” he said, I came because I am what you cad 11 hard up.” And you think that I shall fee you. bribe you? said Godfrey Knighton, between liis teeth. Pardon ! murmured the Eignor, raisin hia glass, ami bowing over it towards tin • tein face with a graceful bonhomie. Fe . bribe,; are two ugly words. That I expect my old iiiciul to assist me in tin iberal manner which is tnil}' English—yes ! Hut fee ! bribe ! They are two odious words! Odious or not, you mean to blackmail roe; sad the squire sternly. Suppose 1 refuse to give you one single penny, wbai will you do ? What will I do ? said the Signor, selecting a forced strawberry, and placing it between his lips daintly. What will 1 do ? Well, I think I will go to the Signorma your daughter Ami then ? demanded Godfrey Knighon. 'Hum, said the Signor, with the smih dial showed all his teeth—then I should f ell her tin; whole history of her mother— Godfrey Knighton rose, linn sank into uis chair again, Listen to me, Ricardo, :ho said; sooner ban ltiat, I would, us yon know, endure iiuch. Yes, I CMiitVt-y ii! .Now, mum; ,uur prie« ! You must not remain under ids roof after to-night , I mu in your tower, and I aeki.owiedge it ; Name your >iiee, you. .you de\ il. Softly, softly ; said the signor with a i sinister laugh. You use hard names, uy dear friend, my dear old friend ! As ■o my price wo can talk of that presently, ■ e-morrow —tiie day after— next week ! As to leaving your beautiful [dace, your loapitable roof —bait ; it likes mo too nuch ; Hero 1 am ant; here L stay ; Godfrey Knighton uttered an oath, am! catching up a largo steel knife which ban been placed lor culling the pine, leaned ,owmla his guest. t ignor Ricardo slipped his hand into bis breast and produced a revolver.