LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7745, 22 February 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE EARL'S CHIUSTMAS BOX. (Continued.) > •■ Whit a grumbling chap you are." criid l.oid IVbbloridigf, ossunmig an B ir of disgust to hide bis exuberant . excitement. " All's well, you know, that ends noil." 1 •■ U Ira sen't ended yet," returned t .miles of this beastly rocky road." ". *' And in Egypt you slanged me S -like a bargtc for swearing at that s Old rotter of a camel," sighed l'eb£bie * •' Oh, Egypt's Egypt. One expects '•.to rough it a brt abroad. At home [is one naturally looks for home comr*lorl» " " You shall have them all inside balf-an-hour. How jolly glad dear Old Gwyn will be to sit' us ! It was a. bit rough on the mater not to give her more than live minutes, but I simply had to catch this train. I wanted Gwjn to have a-glorious surprise. Just fancy the paor little - B» r ' going down to the old place to spend Christmas all alone ! You :■ Would not have believed it of Gwyn, would you ? " " Xo," said Cadwallader. " I am not qjuita sure that I believe it now."

•' Only imagine the poor child crying her eyes out in the ghastly solisude o£ itho Hall, while, as she thought, we were, having a high old time in the Holy Laird ! " " I'm afraid my imagination is hardly vivid enough," returned Cad.Wtfllador. ;Ah! You were always down on Gwyn You never could appreciate Her. Lucky for me, that last, or you might have cut me out." Lord Hehblei idge laughed so heartily over this conceit that he failed to notice Cadwalladcr's inability to see the joke. There was silence' for the most part during the remainder of 'rhc drive, and ooth travellers fell rtneved wliero. at length, the village fly jolted np to the Hall. After some considerable delay the great oaßen door was flung open (,>y an under-footman. Lord Pebbleridgc strode in followed by Cadwallader. " Where is her ladyship ? " inquir8d Pebble, angirily, of the astonished, flustered und.-riing. Before there was time «'or a reply a distand sound of tremendous applause, mingled with loud and continuous laughter, broke upon the . travellers' ears. •• What's that ? " inquired Pebble fiercely.

" What's what, my lord ? " asked the unhappy footman. •' That infernal row ! What is it ? Where is it ? Don't stand there like a blithering idiot ! Speak, man, can't you ! " '• Mease, my lord, it's the tenants, they can't help laughing, my lord. It's so tree-ruenjous'iy funny, uiy lord ; it lseally is ! " "Funny . " almost yelled l.isloiclship. ""What the devil do you man •? Who's funny ?'' "" My lady, .my lord. And - the Ma .->)<»s of AberystwLVt, i'.e - I*..n->j, too. And as for Mr AdoSphxs llas}>em —well, there ! " And the under footman choked and j-gurgled, even to the verge of dis\'respect, over his side-splitting renuniscenixs of Mr Adolphus Mashein. Again the distant salvoes of applause ; again the shouts of uproarious laughter. "What in the name ot 1 thunder is .that ghastly row ? What •does it mean?" reiterated Loid Pebbieridge. The footman reverted to his acgravity. ■■• If you please, my lord, it's the pantomime ! " he said in solemn tones. " The what ?" roared Pebble. *■' The pantomime, my lord, Mr Adolphus Mashem, he wrote the words, and the Marcpiis of Aberyst- ? with did the tunes. And my lady, she takes the principal part; and I assure you, my lord, they are all three most iuarvec4iously comic." Lord Pebbieridge annihilated the over-bold footman with a look, and, brushing past ham, made for the ■direction from whjch the plaudits - : seeinad to come. Il» entered the bailie quoting hail, at the further end of .which a stage had been erected. A comic scene was in progress between the Marquis of Aberystwith, attired >Va» a policeman, and Mr Adolphus Mashem, who wore 'the gay motlet of the stage clowm. The place was ?—pacßCtt —*o—niiir ii ■ i-

I jr. laag, ahucklinig crowd of yokels and | a large contingent of severe and exjt elusive country people. Ip the wings, 'n wanting to make her entrance when |» the comic interlude should haiveconie C to a conclusion. Lord Pebbleridge est pied his wife dressed in the abbrevijj «*ed skirts and sandalled shoes of a '- columbfine. With a smothered exclajp mation, be strode to the door that H' led to the stage. Had he no sooner g? passed the sacred portal than heenp countered Gwyneth, who said '• Hulm i 5. Pebble ! " as as though Wfi .< * a * l Seea him l>ut vcstw day. ■('_, " You hav e Just come in time," sht £. .went on, " to relieve my mind, about g.' these tuHe skirts. I have an uncomidea that they are too short £.- but Aberystwith, who ought really BF to know, assures me they are absolutely correct. Do you think I can -.- trust tarn ? I am frightfully sorry |* you didn't get here in time for the fc , first part. It was simply killing. fc and the Beast.' you know Pi„ , Was Beaut y. o' course. Dolly S>„< Mashcm was the Beast. The part B" suited him down to the ground). SlAheryslwith was a sort of tertium f'-gwd, a brainless fop. He couldn't "j see where the joke came in ; so of j 34 course that made it all the more £ screaming. It was really immense.' U.. P y the way > n <>«' did you like Pale*-" J £ One ? Have you brought home some [. nice postcards ? Let me get by, Teb- ' &■ We. It is getting near me." B Lord Pebbleridge, white with ragei £ turned to the prompter, j. " Lower that curtain !"• ho said. i, The prompter looked appealingly at E Gwyneth. V. " Drop that curtain ! " be 'cora- £ mawlcd once more, and his) faqo looks, ed as set and' as white as in that f- glorious hour when he led a forlorn e * hope to save the guns at Groolcgp E The agitated prompter again glancff: ed at Gwyneth for further instrucrtion» She was gazing opeinuouthed . at her husband. There was no eneouragement to rebellion to be found g in that quarter. A third time came v. the stem command, " Drop that in£T fernal curtain, do you hear ? " The g unhappy prompter gave the signal gj- and the curtain fell. g-- Murmurs of dissatisfaction were g IhreaftMuig to grow into an oj>en when LTJUI Pebbleridge, after if; .whispering an order to an attendant sr -stepped brisWy to the footlights \_ " Ladies and gentlemen," he said, sp, '» Slight accident—one of those unj; foreseen trifles that occur in the j-,best regulated families—has happened *.. to prevent the continuonce of the -i far a possible the unavoidable dis- { - appointment, and also to com- ; memopato this festive season, I have , given orders thalt, in the hall, beer and wine shag I be provided for those -, who may be disposed to partake of Total abstainers—if there oe gaoy—will be catered for in a mrldor Don't rush, boys ! Take care teal the women and children. I guarantee tnat the last-Comer shall lie the SThest served. I wish you all a merry £ Christmas and a happy New Year." ;„ Ashamed of their stamnodc, the S front ranks turned and colled for

—^—■—»^————■—l three cheers for the Earl, and in a second tlie oaken beams rang with the deafening response. The hero of a thousand lights retired from the public gaze and stoo.l quailing under the bright eyes of -his fragile little wife. Ho expected a. raging tempest. He encountered a smile that seemed to him altogether strange and new. " You look awfully fetching, Pebble, when you are in a royal rage," said GwynuMi, sweetly,. "If you foamed at the mouth a little ofterer, I think you might succeed in keeping even me in order. Hut you really should not trot off to the Holy Land and leave your poor'little wile to entertain the tenants at Christmas time all by herself. Now should you?" ! And Pebbie, conquered by that heavenly smile, weakly admitted,with abject humility, that iji this respect at least he had been sorely Co blame. " So you have got your pretty little hoof firmly planted once moiv on poor Pebbic's chest," observed Cadwallader later in the evening to the Countess of PebWeridgo, who, clad in trailing robes of mauve vo'.vel adorned with old Mechlin lace, wao moving gracefully and demurely about among her guests l . " How did you manage to soothe his righteous anger this time '.» " " Quite easily," returned Gwyneth " I gave him my hand as a wedding present. I offered hi in my heart as a Christmas box." " And he accepted the precious gift in all good faith V " " Rapturously ! Why not ? Would not you ? " •■• Not likely. In his place 1 should have acted on the principle that it is more blessed to give than to receive." " How awfully S weet of vou ' rT ' „ ,;-" ■'"- ■■"" -B-^r—TßTV<r taken ? '•' The form of a .s'niait Christmas box—on your ladyship's delicate, shell-like ear." But Gwyneth only laughed. "You wouldn't * have had the heart," she said. *u A P' l f c 'a d wallador conceded sadly that, for pnee in her life, at any ra.te\ she spoke the plain, unvarnished truth.