LITERATURE.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 10, 24 November 1887, Page 4

LITERATURE.

UNDEd THE I lIA DOW. CIIAIYEH iV—Continued, Kofi Iv, my fiim-’i I ho said smiling, but v.ith a Ti-iocb.us lig! tin bin eyes. Pndown vo iii’ ki’hc. (hi, 1 know you «>f oid ; Jut lo re in England, vru no m-t use knivocor gir.-.s. is it not so ? Only brains ! Let ru-join y our charming daughter ; we • ; ; n talk ov! r our little bnsiners to-mor-row ! , ,:(ip I said Godfrey Knighton, K-tlui; the knii-) fall whli A clatter against hh p’;r>-. You are right ;it is not with knife ii i evuiver wc mum settle till s. Cania Lucia I I should think not ! No ! css anted the si; mm, shrugging bis shuul-<!t-is. It is v. i- hj a question of money, combined the 'quire, wiping his face, upon width great beads of sweat stood ; you can hr,vc no Oilier monve, no other object. How much do yen went ? ’lake it. and lor Heaven's sairt- begone ana leave me in peace ! 'iho signer r Led Ids glass and sippeIds wine with an enjoyment as rare as tin wine i.self. You arc right, no said ;it in question of money, but not money only. Oh, I am aware that whatever I ask, yon must pay. For you wonhln t like me t-. go to ihat beautiful girl, your daughter, mu say, NTs Lis, I can tel! yon tin sti-i-v of pair mol her ! No, you would not n-m that ! '1 hen-forc, you arc willing to pay any; Inn ; anything ! But, my 1 nan o', my m or o.d in end, 1 have not yet made i:p iuv mind how much to a-k ! I have just airived on your bleak shore. I find mVr oil* in com lertabie quarters. I Hay to myseli, Haro are you, B quisle, in ■lu- liMi:-!,- of your fiiend ; you may stay licre ai d live like a prince. Ami naturally I dec d<-d to stay—tor a while ! Yes, is it not m? Godin-y Knighton sat with knitted brow tint chmctn.-d teeth. Take cure I lie stud. Do nof push me too bard. Limb ven too bard ! echoed the signor. How do 1 push you 100 hard ? Iconic as an old friend —your guest. I stay at your ’tivilati-on. !■> it nt natural V And stay 1 shall, my friend, depend upon it. G.alfred Knighton leant forward. II ivo von no i-iry, no mercy '{ im nskud lioairely" Y-u have seen ii r. Yon sec Imw innocent sdiu is, how trusting. Are you b'.-.eh a liend that you can destiny' her wrung and hopeful life _ 'll,o sign or interrupted him wi.h a snap cf his elastic and eloquent lingers. Bait, i. y friend. A man ot the world thinks only ot himself. I was once young i mi. into con?, and the wolves and tm In-.v.ks led upon me. I am no longer young and innocent —and it is my turn. You talk- —paidon me, my dear Knighton like a character in u play. Hero am I with u ta cr el —your teerct —for disposal. I have a price— good. Bui I am nut ye readv to hj v. hj it, that price shall be. Jleuiiwhile 1 remain the guest of my distinguished Iririid the squire of the Bevels iim?—wind is the place V—the Beverley. Good again. And now let us go to you; charming daughter, Goiliiev Knighton rose without another vvoid and they went into iho drawinr loom, libs was seated at the piano, but she lose a« 1 In y (-HU red. Do Mil rise, I beseech you, said the i-iunor I 1 am Italian, and therefore a shiv. io music, i’iay xor us, Hiss Iris ; oi bc.ur slid, sing. You do sing? Iris looked at her father. He averte hi-s face, and stood wi.h stem, bent brows, looking at the ground, Yen do sing, said tlm signor tiinmpliauUy. 1 pray a song L oi you, Alias II IK . Lis did not know what to do. She knew that her father old not like le> hear hot ping, umi yd tliis visitor, this old frtemi ui n Hindi ii it t i her. Bing Jiis, want Godfrey Knighton, in ; htraintd voice. Bull hesitating and reinetant, she sat down to the piano, and tinned over tin inn.-ie ; ilu-n she these a. S' mg, and com-Im-ne d. blit.nee reigned snpreme. until she hac. finished, then the signor chipped his hands. Bi..v, , bn.viy.-imo !ho said. Alias Iris, you have a. voice, one in u tbousand. It is a voice which iho crowd would gladly listen to. It is a fortune, is it not so. Knighton ? Epeak truly ; is not her voice m .guilitub, spU-tuliil, overwhelming i G.dlicy ivnightou lowed Ins a-sum coUiiy, lu.dttlie fciguor asked in an undertone

k is her mother's voice. I'.ote fur note, It in splendid. 'IIn n aloud he sod— Vv’il. you sing again, Slum Iris? I atn nn iuiiism, and 1 love mimic.' It in the fond of my u it.’dii. 'lnly ycey Shall I she murmured u> her father. Vfs, if you 1 ike, he answered, and she tan;' again. The sig.mr’s admiration seemed to know no bounds. it is splendid, ho said. It is a voice which Would move a crowded theatre to i n hosuism. Ah, but .vhut a gift, aud wasted. Lolih-o was hrougnt in. and Iris gave him a cup, and thin look her iauey work end drew away from them. The squire stood and drank his cottoe in silence. The foot man came in with the b< di 0010 ca.'.d.t’S'. it is a good night said the signor ; 80 boon, It has been a delightful even jug. tloo.l night, AI i - s: Iris. Your voice will linger in my ears through all my dreams, t h>od night, my irietid, and he jd- <>s lumds wi.ii the squire. They wtro standing near the door as tins uei'cmmiy was pe; tunned. and Finbig nor, ns he stepped, with his peculiar gliding K.op, into the hall, nearly ran ng inst some, ii lie on.led up whh a hj >w and a Pinion, tun person against whom he had collided utterul a cry of terror and shrunk buck. Iris ran towards the door, ami was just in li no to see Felice douching against the wall. What is the uniter, Felice ? she said. Tin.; woman, In r eyes hxed noon the signor, trieii't.,l answer; but the signor spoke for her. Tit:' mat?- r, T:Fs Iris ? lie said : it is my clumsy .stupidity. 1 did knock myself against this } mmg woman, that is all. 1 beg ten the,u.-n.mi paid. -ns, and he bestowed Mi ehihor-d.- low upon Felice. Are you [him. Fence ? askeil Iris. j IN I ’, no, signal in i ; 1 am not hurt ! ro- | plied the woman, ami wish lowered eyes j Sue shrank baea and disappeared, I CHAP t'E II V. | Foreigners aio generally considered by j Englishmen aa K.te ns rs, . r, in other ; worms ‘He all sis,’ but if si., re is any j Irmh in this sweeph g condemnation of < our c'eUMn ntai neighbours, t..ea Fignor 1 Itieamu was, F-r once, a biiilzant esccp- j tion to the rule. [ For on the morning after his arrival he 1 up earlier than the earliest house -i

maid at 11 if* Hovels. Perhaps it was ille beauty of the morning, the fn shness of iSu! air, the funding of the birds that tempted Signor iticar.io from his virtuous ■jonch. though ho f bowed no gre-al_ eagerness *o go out of doors ; indeed, Ins pro- • codings were rather strange lor a visitor. [;i r. loose and somewhat rusty black '.civet jacket, and wearing a pair of thick felt slippers, the signor stole sottly down •ho great stairs, with their carved and 1 irmvstained oaken rails and iinials, and t> -lopping to examine the old pictures on i :1k- wails, descended to the hall. Here he carefully examined the locks of each Of; .[■ e doors, tlicn leisurely surveyed the suits ■f aunoct and cases of antique weapons. lie turned into the dining room next, md surveying the great carved sideboards uttered a giant of dissatisfaction. Where is all that solid and massive plate, these silver candlesticks and silver is lies, and centre-pieces, 1 wondei ? he muttered. That pig of a butler has thorn locked up somewhere, 1 expect, safe under iutk and*key. Humph ! If some friends wi knew this iiouso mul all tiuit i eoi.tah.s, I think my goud_ fiiend Knigh ;oii would lose some of his pretty silver tilings. Having made a careful mental inventory of the contents of the dining refru, this interesting visitor, still in search of knowledge, turned into ilia hall again and tried! the library door. He found this looked, but after search ine. in his poeucts tor a minute, be pro* duced a skeleton key, and, after a Util manipulation, turned -.lie lock. One should never lorget to c.ury a few useful tods, he murm red softly, as Inlooked round. Books, books, books ! M\ , only Looks are womanV looks, and love is all they teaeh me ! Who cares tor books ? As he spoke he opened the door of one of a series of cupboards, and uttered an exclamation of satisfaction, for inside tincupboard was a small safe. The signor examined this with more care than he had bestowed upon anything close, and appa rently his examination was satisfactory, for he nodded once or twice, and smiled sweetly. It i* old,—fifty, a hundred years, perhaps ; and to open the lock is—bah ! child's play. But not this morning ! No there is plenty of lime, Baptiste ! But I would like to know what is in there, he mused with his head on one side, his white teeth gleaming at iho safe as it they as well as his eyes, were trying to penetrate its iron ease. 1 would line to know—well, well ; ail in good lime 1 And now 1 < think wo wi’l go and see ‘lie dew upon 1 the flowers, mid gel an appdite for breakJ last. Breakfast is the honest man’s i best meal ; and Baptiste, my friend, ii you are not honest, who is ? With this moral sell encouragement, the signor, having carefully i clocked the library door after him. passed out into the garden. Here, having reached an angle well out of the views of the principal windows, lie surveyed the house ethically. I’tste, but it is magnificent! be murmured, bis eyes roving covetously over iho pile ot gn-y stone, with its -eri-accs and onlonades ; it is truly magnificent ! Godfrey Knighton, my friend, you must be lien— very rich ; and, dotiblUss, all this land for miles around belongs to you. Yes, yon are a great man, roiling in money, in good English sovereigns,— whilst poor Baptiste has scarcely' a franc. Bah, and they soy that there is justice in ibis world ; Phew, whit a place it is. It ■ s like a palace, with its plate, ami its iich itmiituro, and its army of servants. An,!, doubtless, ail to come to this young girl, this Mias iris. Humph ! (To be Continued.)