LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 790, 5 April 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

>' " ; WAS HE JUSTIFIED. " Jtaho Corelli's latest, plea*? " 7 ' * •• it'a not out yetj w|iss." *#■ ' '• Then the one before her last," * The gentlemanly assistant in * 1 Shnmpton's Koyal Library at Sea- *' Jjqurne apparently understood what ' was meant by tfce cryptic request, * ' lor be retreated to ; the tack of the estafcliduuent and in a moment or *' two returned with a red volume in land. t Threepence please, miss." J- -"I thought it was twopence a .volume. You have that up, in the window." '• Only for oM books'. This .is a, new one." $v "Hut you Just now said •" Tins is Miss Corelli's last pub-

' .lished work, The charge is threes' pence. I can refer you to the catalogos it you .wish* 16 r, " llut 1 understood you were goto give me Iter last but one,"| continued Dolly Monltrose, turning to "Z 'fcr companion.. | m •• ifg always the sams at these leading libraries at the ssasids, Aun | tie- They're wretchedly poor things compared with town. Never fjSve * you the books you want." I Compressing Ms lips, Henry Gricr i uv son politely awaitcii the payment of -■ the money.. He was an even-temper-ed young main; nobody who is not even-temperel should undertake tffa \ library lite Shrimpton's. | All day and overy day during the r 1 '■ lengthly season, a constant stream . ' of young ladies possessing tremvt- ' 1 dous appetites for light fiction, but - the vaguest ideas as to titles and " authors, poured into the estaibiishj ■ went. i-.-\ To answer innumerable questions totally unrelated to literature proper, to be able to determine each, young lady's taste in fiction by the colour at her eyes or hair, to re- ?* count in strictly Chronological orderi * the names of Miss Bwddon's fifty . odd novels, to kiow the titles of . all the forthcoming books oil the publisher's list, as well as of superannuatod works almost dating back "to tHa Georges—such were the varied '■ 'duties of Henry Grierson. The post .was certainly- no sinecure. ' Grudgingly and with aggravating slowness, as though she wore being cheats, Solly took threepence in v halfpennies from her purse and laid ■e- .it, on .-the counter, j, > ".T&upk j'ou ! " saiU (Iriersou, - jritta impertubable good humour. " 'Books can bo retained a week.' This ia Saturday. I suppose I may keep it till Monday week ? Certainly t if you jay another tJneepencc." w '>4 * Ob, isn't that too bad, auntie? "■ _ e-vlaimed ■ Polly, flushing hotly. '■•They might let you keep it for 4 two Sundays. It can't make any

difference to them, and that's always »; my best reading day. Good morning i i>. •• One moment!, please, miss ! Your name?" " Wat do you want that' for ? They didn't ask,, it at the other lib- '; nry." . As security for the book., Wc exAct no deposit here."- " And it's such an abominably old «He, tooi Well—Dorothy Montrose, ti OiltoQ Terrace. Come along. Auntie I shall be glad to get out of this study little shop." A smile broka over Grierson's face as he 'turned to the next customer. At first he had been inclined to roi sent warmly Miss Montrose's cava- : treatment, but two years as librarian at Sbrimpton's had taught him the vagaries of the sex. Moreover, experience had served him well * by broadening fete sense of humour, in Ms spare time he earned sundry guineas by writing (anonymously) comic, sketches for Seabourne's chief newspaper, and already the possible : subject of a new one loomed into being. : . -1 m ' • « Pour days liter—to be precise, on the following Wednesday—Grierson spent the afterooon with his friend,

apeui, ok uauuuuu «ilii ma irivra, •Maurice Spelhurts. That duy Shrimpion's closed at two, much to the chargin of ladies who forgot to exchange hooks in the morning, and ,were left hopelessly stranded for the rest of the day, and by four o'clock or shortly afterwards, Spi-'.liurst, ,who was employed in a bank in the {town, found himself liberated. The two friends hired a boat—.boating was their favourite pas-, pulled up the river, brief but picturesque, which added tb Seaibourne's attractions. For some' time Maruice hacl been paying attention to GrtcrsonV sister, Lydia. Over and, over again, for Seobourne in.the matter of engagements was mightily curious, Grierson was asked if there was anything in it. He had. to reply that he did not know, -and, if the Question was persisted in, he turnod "it aside with a non-committal shrug of the shoulders. But though it was true that be did not know Spelhurst's mindand would never have dreamt of enjdangcring thefr friendship by enquir . W[, it was inipossjfbie for hiin' to Bvc under the sume rooi with Lydia .without perceiving the state of her ..affections. ? - ®cr bright .eyes, when in course of conversation he mentioned Maurice's name, hen bursts of singing over tiwmoet prosaic tasks, her occas-; , lonall unaccountable lapses into depression—everything pointed to the autocratic rule of the love-god over Her susceptible young 'heart. And for bin sister's sake as wcll »3 oie own (would not a closer link 1 ' bo forged thereby?!) Gi*rson hoped that Maurice Would soon speak. a ' cmoou thc latt cr was si) • *?? ody : mol ' e contentTo pufldi dgarettc than to talk. Grierson t him wHh his silence. Imy SSrt.-* rve j { i H e^.? ay confessio «« good fo j f" But there I !* • - tc ". at Present. Evi' ftaS 1 t , ftnitc ' uncertain. On f sometbiDe woro ' I Suuda y ">" ■ 1 I, L beCaUS ? in a " Probability I Ife a letter in n»' uockoi i™

we thea .. * lKllQr m pocket by you ma,£e mc excecdi- CTI "° IUS 1 U5 - Lct me have three re "PP'Jinff for a post | Cf^° nagCr Bt 0 ,Jra " ch w ' - tali* ■Jf* ! Im! B™<l° thai I - woutfi, if Have Mother guess t " tj« h en ?" CM >t r ollca tbc eagerness ; 7 tones as Ventured ft '.sof Cpna time. Efcj. "®, lwve it. You are going to get fflg|MlTl<d 1" - but not (qlriteright! ai)(| am now