The Storgteller. UNDER A STRANGE MASK.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 315, 16 July 1898, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Storgteller. UNDER A STRANGE MASK.

BY FRAMv BARRETT. CHAPTER HI. —THE YOUNG LOUD RKDLANDS. My little friend's hair was no longer tumbled and loose, but smoothly brushed back from her white temples, and twisted in a close shining coil upon her head. She had changed her dress also, and now wore what I think is called a tea-sown, of a pretty dark material relieved with some white lace about the throat and wrists. I do not pretend to know anything about such matters and could not for the life of me give you the particulars of that dress : but I can answer for it that it was made in accordance with the prevailing fashion, for in such affairs she % was not superior to her sex, I am happy to say—those who pretend to be so being prigs in nine cases out of ten. We sat down to tea. and had a good long chat about trifles, the slight events that bad occurred during the week among our small circle of acquaintances , how wo got so much pleasant conversation out of surely meagre materials puzzled me. After all, there are but four strings to a violin ; yet what pleaing variety of sounds may be got out of them, and what delight they may afford if only one goes the right way to work ! However when the pleasant meal came to an end, and I really would not take another cup, there was a short silence, and then Miss Sylvester, with her serious air, said : 'Now, I suppose, we had better begin to talk about business V °Yes,' I replied, looking at my watch; ' for I may have to get down to the post in time to send off a telegram. 'Well, my dear, in the first place, I must tell you "that I have brought over a client with me. I left him in the village where he intended to dine, if he can get anything to eat at the inn.' ' Why didn't you bring him here f

' Because he didn't seom very anxious to come, for one thing and I thought wo would discuss his affairs with less restraint if he kept away. My client is Lord Redlands.'

(Here, in parenthesis, I must state. that this young man was the I grandson of that Lady Kedlands to whom Robert Sylvester had offered his hand—a child having been born to her shortly after her husband's death). ' Lord Kedlands,' she exclaimed; and then her surprise gave way to feminine curiosity, ' Tell me what sort of a man he is.' A man would have asked, ' What has he come about?' 'He's a decent looking young fellow,' said I—well set up, good looking, healthy—'what I should call a clean man, who wouldn't soil his hands or his conscience for all the world.' • That's an equivocal compliment, isn't it ?' said Mis 3 Sylvester with a smile. 'Perhaps it is; still it conveys my impression. In the matter of spoiling his hands he may be too particulars, but that is a fault which may be forgiven.' ' Is he fair or dark V • Fair, but his eyes and hair are dark, so is his beard, and that's trimmed down to a point, and his moustache sweeps out just as his ancestor is represented in the church yonder—the Elizabethan Kedlands with the ruffle, kneeling, with his two boys behind him !' • He must be handsome to resemble him.' « Oh he is handsome. I was just about to start when he came up, looking as if he had at that moment turned out of a club in Pall Mall, not a speck of dust on him. I'll be bound he travelled all the way in a Pullman despite his debts. I guessed at once who it was, although I had never before seen him—partly by his looks, partly because Hanson, the family solicitor, wrote me last week, telling me he had advised my young lord to come down and look over the affairs of his estate. I told him I was about to ride over to Soecliff, and asked him if he would come with me and talk about his affairs on the way. You see, my dear, I wished the young fellow to see what a deplorable condition his estate is in.' 1 Quite right 1' cried Miss Sylvester ; ' he ought to know what misery is due to neglect. Pardon roe, I will not interrupt you again. Goon.' I proceeded to nan ate all that bad occurred as nearly as I could remember. A 'A™soon, as we were out of Coneyford I «aid : «Now, sir, tell me all you wish me to know.' 1 There is nothing I wish to conceal, Keene' said Lord Kedlands My position is this : My income is between live and six hundred a year, and my expenses seven or eight. . . • That means you are getting into debt,' said I. . < Yes ' said he. 'lam m debt. My father left all his personal estate, and very properly to my mother and slaters. I inherited hw

real estate—all that is left of the old Redland* property.' ' And you want to know,' said I, «if that estate can be made to yield eight hundred a year instead of six, and something over and above to pay your outstanding debts.' 'That is exactly it,' said he. «Well, sir,' said I, « it may be made tp pay that; but money must be spent upon it—pretty freely, too —and you will have to wait years for the result. ' Meanwhile' said he, ' 1 am every year increasing my debts. What alternative can you suggest?' 'That you should restrict your expenses, and live withiu your income, my lord,' said I. ' I don't know how that's to be done' said he. ' Of course, thousands of men do live upon £6OO a year ; but I can't tell how they do it. I have no children or wife I'm not likely to have—no home, no horses ; I do not drink, don't play —don't do anything —in excess.' It was on my toague to tell him that he didn't look as if he did anything ; but thinking it might seem out of place, I held my tongue, and being then come out of Prioir Woo'd, contented myself with pointing over the open country before us and saying : ' There's where your estate begins, my lord.' 'I might have known it by its barrenness.' said he bitterly. ' Why its nothing but a heath.' 'There's plenty of it,'said I; it stretches away to Soeoliff— eight miles as the crow flies—and it is just about as broad as it is long. Of course, the shooting lets for a fair price.' ' Is that the sole source of revenue V he asked. ' No,' said I ; there are a few villages dotted over the estate We are coming to one at the foot of this hollow.' 'I had purposely driven out of the way to go through Yesterham. When we had passed through the straggling row of hovels, stopping midway for a squalid woman to carry a bandy legged child out of the road, he said. ' Are those places mine V ' Y«s ' said I : ' there are eighteen cottages and three beershops. Your -beershops pay well ; you can't expect the others to yield much. Indeed I don't see how the tenants could pay anything if we were strict about the game. ' They pay their r«nt by poaching on mv own land,' said he. ' Roughly speaking, they do,' said I , ' but I will say this for them ; When they get the chance they poach on your neighbour's preserves. He made no reply. I drove on till we came to the first road, and then pulling up, I laid. ' There are two ways to Soscliff, my lord. That one takes us down through Black Rock Gap—another of your villages. It was a prosperous little village, especially in the the herring season ; but their breakwaters are washed away; there's no protection for the boats, and the fleet has dwindled down to a couple of crazy boats that ought never to be allowed to put out to sea. How the poor wretches there get a subsistence I can't tell. That's the short way'— • Then, for goodness sake let us go the long way !' he cried. ' I feel as if I were responsible for the existence of this misery.' «So you are, morally,' said I. ' If you kept cattle in an unhealthy condition and let them stray into your neighbour's lands in search of food, you would be punished.' 'lou are a plain speaker. Mr Keene,' said he with a flush of colour in his fair cheek. ' One must be silent, or speak the truth—and there's only one way of doing that,' said I. After that we went on in silence for a good way, still jogging along through the barren country. I wanted my words to sink into his mind. He was the first to break silence. Coming to cultivated land he said—--1 At last there's something pleasant to look at. Look at that stubble—there must have been good crops here, Keene.' ' Excellent my lord,' said I : couldn't b a > better. lVe have just 2>ad the boundary of your estate. His countenance fell. ' This was all Redlands at one time ; but these lands were sold to Mr Sylvester fifty years ago.' ' All that was worth seliing,' said he. ' No; it was more valuable because the Court and Park stood on it; but I am told the ground itself is not a bit richer than the rest. The ground you seo now covered with good crops was as ragged a waste as the land beyond— twenty years ago. I know that from my own observation ; but while this property has gone up in value by leaps and bounds yours has gone steadily sinking back to savage waste. Look down there my lord,' said I, pulling up at an opening where we got a glimpse of the village. There lies Soecliff. That film of blue smoke hanging over it speaks of cheerful hearts *nd well served tables : the. busy smacks in the harbour represent independence, and prosperity' Well twenty years ago, that village was no better than Black Pvock Gap where your tenants are glad to feed on potatoes, rejected here as unfit for pigs. The wealth of this estate, its growing prosperity the contentment indepen-

dence, and happiness of all who live upon it are due to the efforts! of Colonel Sylvester. Now, my lord, you are no worse off than he was wh- n he set his hand to this good work. You are less embarrassed for you ' have no delicate wife and young child to consider ; why. in the name of reason and common sense should you not do as he did—live on your estate and regenerate the fallen fortunes of your house ? ' Because,' said he ' I am not Colonel Sylvester. He was a man of character a man of decision and action, whilst V ; he shrugged his shoulders to signify that he had none of these qualities. I was about to remonstrate, for a man may form the mere habit of doing nothing—may cease to believe that he can do anything ; but he interrupted me : 1 No, Keene ; you mistake my character. ' I could not endure a solitary life ; I should hang myself at the end of a month. It requires a man of strong will and set purpose for such an undertaking.. ' Pardon me,' said I: this estate has been managed by the colonel's daughter since his death and has suffered nothing in consequence. She lives alone at the Court.' ' I have not even the qualities of a strong-minded woman,' said he, and a certain curve of his lip seemed to signify that he was rather glad he had not. ' Let those who are qualified ior such work undertake it; I am not; there are plently who are. You must sell the place, Keene.' 'That won't give you eight hundred a year and clear your debts,' said I. 'No matter,' said he, sharply : ' sell the place for what it will fetch—and at once. That story of the poor wretches who feed on diseased potatoes —T can think of nothing else, and I shall not while the place is mine.' 'lt's ruin.' said I—he .turned his head impatiently—'you will not get tho honest value of it if you sell now—unless Miss Sylvester chose to buy it. 'I do not wish to receive any favour from the Sylvester's ' he said quickly. ' You are not likely to get a penny piece more, than the value of the land from her,' said I. 'lf I propose it to ray client, it is because I feel sure it will be a profitable investment and because there is no one who could make such good use of the property. ' And now, my dear,' said l—addressing Miss Sylvester, when I had come to the end of ray story — it is for you to say whether you will buy up tho estate and help thics young fellow out of his difficulties or not. 'Yes' said she, quietly, with a very anxious expression on her young face, as she drew together with her little fingers the crumbs under her hand. ' Of course, it will give you more work than ever,' said 1, after a minute or two. ' I am not afraid of that; I should like it ' —still collecting the crumbs. * We could raise the money on your title-deeds—there would be no difficulty about payment.' • No ; you could arrange all that for me,' said she. l Of course/ Then there was another pause. She had a pretty good heap of crumbs by this time. 'Perhaps,' said I,' you do not feel more desposed to help this young man than he to receive your favour.' She scattered the heap of crumbs by a backward sweep of her little finger, .resting her elbow on the table and her cheek on her hand, and said raising her eyes to mine—- ' I have no reason to dislike him.' ' Nor he you,' said 1. ' His family is indebted to your grandfather for a nice little gift of ten thousand pounds. ' I hope you did not tell him that : Pray don't,' she added, as I shook my head ; ' he would hate me more than ever.' 1 How do you know he hates you, my dear V 'By putting myself in his place. If 1 found I could not manage the estate, and had to give up all and go and get my living as a governess, do you think I should feel amiably disposed towards another who took my place and managed better 1 Do you think I could like that other ? No ; I should be the first to put all sort of constructions on' his motives. Did you tell him how old I was V ' No ; I said you were a most estimable young woman, that's all,' She laughed, and said—- ' I know exactly the sort of woman he pictures me ; one of those clever, managing women, gaunt and forty, with a wisp of hair sticking out behind, a scuttle bonnet, and spectacles. sharp features, and thinner even than I am ; dressed eccentrically—one of those poor souls that Punch makes fun of. But, growing suddenly grave again, ' I was not thinking of myself or that side of the question. I was thinking how unhappy this poor Lord llcdland must be, doing nothing, hoping for nothing, having no object in life but to kill time, and it seemed to me,' she pursued, ' such a pity that I should take this chance of happiness out of his hands, this possibility of getting back his fortune and winning contentment with it, and some higher kind oE self-congratu-iatiou. It is a pity to see a man

sink clown like this. I don't know ; we niiiy laugh at these idle noble families ami their follies, but tlie subject, has a pathetic side all the same. The Redlands did well for their country once, and held a high place in the affection of their fellowcreatures, and it's sad to think they should die out and be forgotten.' •My dear, it is a law of nature that all useless creatures should die out.' ' Yes, but it's against the law of nature time a man should be useless ; she replied quickly, and with a bright flash in her fine intelligent eyes. ' Only the phoenix rises from its ashes,' said I ; and believe me, Lord Redland is not a phoenix, but only an ordinary idle gent.le.uan.' I looked at my watch, an 1 Miss Sylvester taking the hint, changed her manner, and coming at once to the point in question said—■ l Of course 1 will take the estate if you see no practical objection.' ' One objection omy occurred to me,' said I. ' The sum you are about to invest is no trifle. Old Sylvester gave your father permission to do what he lilced with the estate so long as he did not oother him with the details, aucl I have no doubt he would be as well pleased for yon to spare him any trouble, still," as this is a serious matter, and the first you have undertaken, I think it will be well to ask his permission. ' Yes. yes, by all means. I did not think of that ; but it will bear delay.' ' Not mnch,' We will not weary the old gentleman with a long letter of explanation—a brief telegram will suit his taste better. He can read it at a glance, and reply in one word. That is why 1 looked at my watch. If I start at once I may send the telegram to-night. Seven o'clock—looking at my watch again as I rose —' it is not probable that we shall get an answer to-night; but on Monday morning you may expect it. Send on word to me when it arrives, and I will drive over at once and conclude arrangements with young Redlands. With this I hurriedly took leave of my little friend, and went down to the post office in Soeclifi, where I was in time to send the message to old Sylvester, who was then at Amalfi in Italy—- ' Do you consent to Miss Sylvester purchasing the remainder of the Redlands Estate for £12,000 to he raised on the deeds now in her hands ?' Then I went to the Old Inn, where I found Lord Redlands tryto amuse himself with a country newspaper. I told him what I had done, and advised him to. stay in Soecliff until we got the answer. 1 I suppose. I had better' he said, iu a tone of resignation. (To be continued).