Novelist. AN OLD SCORE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2534, 6 October 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

Novelist. AN OLD SCORE.

rather than a kingdom with all the great cities of the North, represented —Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and many others, each with its characteristics reflected in the passengers; except for schoolboys who swarmed in anywhere, regardless of territorial distinctions, and hung out of the windows and hailed their friends in distant localities, and cheered and shouted and whistled, in happy indifference as to where they were going—to VVillesdon or Wolverhampton. Everybody who did not properly belong to London was hurrying away out of it; lawyers with their bags crammed with papers; commercial buyers and commercial sellers; enterprising dressmakers, their minds already intent on the spring fashions with a robust faith in the fixity of the seasons and the future appearance of sunshine and summer bonnets, quite re-assuring in all the murky gloom. With these, a mixed and mingled host of people some who were bound for family gatherings; soiue who were going to meet their creditors ; a few perhaps who were running away from the same, with the winter holidays relied upon to give them a good start. Half-way in the long train, between Carlisle, that was well out in the cold of Camden Town, and Rugby that was squeezed almost into the buffers of the starting post, stood a big saloon carriage with a good deal of carving and gilding about it, with a crown over it too that denoted it as used by Royalty, or anyhow by ladies-in-waiting, 011 occasions, but now by a royal lot of schoolgirls; a gorgeous cage full of pretty birds, who adjusted tlieir tuneful throats to make a terrible and most discordant noise. In the way of noise indeed the schoolboys were nowhere. To be sure they were divided and separated and overlooked by scowling elders who wanted to read the papers in peace; while the girls were all together, with no one to keep them in order, for as for Miss JAinny, who sat in a corner with her head in the Family Herald, she was not to be counted as anything in the matter. Whistling of the shrillest, laughter the most uproarious, singing of the loudest, and songs with the most slangy music-hall flavour, of the school repertory; which was not badly furnished in that respect all things considered. But the noise and confusion ceased at once as a tall good-looking young woman opened the saloon door, and looked in at the tumultuous assemblage. There was a general cry, " Here is Georgie Mason," and all the girls crowded about her, threatening to demolish her altogether not in an unfriendly way, but with kisses and

caresses. " Gently girls," cried Georgie Mason, laughingly disengaging herself. " There art; only twenty-tivc seconds to say good bye so goodbye everybody, and pleasant holidays." " And Romeo," cried one of the elder girls, " where is lie 1 Hasn't ho come with you 1" " Yes, he drove me here," admitted Miss Mason, laughing again and blushing. " I see him," cried a sharp young minor who was looking out oil the latform, " there he stands by the pookstall." There was a general rush to the window. " Behave yourselves, girls," cried Miss Mason, quite in alarm. " He will be dreadfully vexed if you make a gaping post of him." ■' What,' is he so strict ?' cried another girl. " Don't you inavry him, Miss Mason, if he is so jolly strict. It will be as bad as Miss Lamprey." " Now Miss, we're off," cried a friendly guard, who had been specially paid to look after the menagerie van. " We're fifteen seconds behind as it is." "Just ten seconds more," cried Miss Mason. " I must say goodbye to Fauny Lamprey." Miss Fanny, who had been reading quietly through all the riot, looked up from her story with tearstained face as Georgie gave her a hasty kiss. " What's the matter Fanny— crying V' said Georgie, a little touched, thinking perhaps the tears were for the parting. " Oh, they're tears of joy," cried Miss Fanny, " it's all right now they've come in to their property," alluding to the hero and heroine, " and are going to marry at once.'

BY FREDERICK TALBOT, Author of "Jack Pugh's Lcgacy,'"Through Fire and Water," &c. CHAPTER I. A Suspicious Character. Tub winter holidays had fairly begun, and the weather promised to correspond with the traditional character of the season. It was dark nearly all day long. It was foggy even in the country. Still more foggy in London. Everywhere a gloomy lowering sky gave a clieerying prospect of coming snow. It was pre-eminently weather for stopping at home and making yourself comfortable with a book or newspaper over the tire, and yet a, large proportion of the world seemed to be of a different opinion and to be bent on jolting about in rattling cabs or dai ting here and there in draughty hansom* intent on journeys long and cold, pQsgibly with a warm welcome at the end of them, but as likely, according to appearances, to end abruptly in a snow wreath. As for the departure platform of Euston terminus, when a trainfor the North was due to start before long, it was crowded with these adventurous wayfarers. What with the long rows of gaslights, and the murky air loaded with vapour, it was more like midnight than midday except that the brassy glare of struggling daylight overhead threw a portentous kind of glare upon the scene, bringing out the white faces of the passengers and the white glistening panels of the railways carriages. The train itself drawn up in readiness for departure was more like a kingdom upon wheels than an ordinary assemblage of railway coaches. A federation perhaps

"Poor things," cried Georgie sarcastically, well I hope they'll be happy. Goodbye everybody,' and she sprang from the carriage to the platform as the train swayed gently backwards for a moment and then glided slowly away. In spite of Georgia's energetic signal of protest the windows of the saloon carriage were thrown open, and a forest of hands and heads were thrust forth, handkerchifs were waved, whistles sounded, while somebody in the background proposed and partly executed " three cheers for Romeo." " What a rowdy lot of girls,' cried Romeo himself, whose real name was Vincent, by the way. Vincent, son of Henry Tryfoil, M. P., of Gaunt Gate, Hyde Park, and the Woodlands, Surrey. Vincent spoke in a tone of some annoyonce, as he joined his sweetheart, on the platform. They made a good-looking pair, as they stood there : he fair and clean shaven and tall with a rather haughty curl of the lip, and blue eyes that expressed a certain amount of disdain for the world in general, and she, with a tall, lithe

figure, and a dark, refined face full of power and sympathy. " They are all dear girls," replied Georgie, hastly, and all friends of mine." " They are very fond of you, Georgie, it seems, but then, who could help that ; and considering they had your example before them, Oh no," cricd Vincent breaking off in the middle of his complimentary speech, " that Lamprey woman brings up her girls abominably." " Including Sylvia and myself," queried Georgie, with her chin in the air disdainfully—only pretending to bo vexed, however, for she was quite satisfied that her lover should quarrel with all the rest of her sex, if only he were true to her. Geogie, indeed, was wonderfully proud of Vincent. She was full of secret awe and wonder, awe of his character and attainments, wonder that he should have chosen her—a friendless orphan, with no particular position in the world, except as a governess pupil at Miss Lamprey's school, while he had all the world to choose from ; the world of rank and fashion, where his wealth or rather his father's would have made him welcome. And then, although Vincent spoke so scornfully of Miss Lamprey's girls, he had taken great trouble in getting her there, to see them off, when once he had found out that she really wished it, had driven her at full speed from South Kensington to Euston, over strong roads .and freshly macadamised patches quite reckless of his horses. He would not have done as much for his sister Sylvia. " Georgie," said Vincent, speaking softly, " I wiil forgive Miss Lamprey for bringing up Sylvia so badly, inasmuch as she brought up you, the one peerless flower among the weeds." Georgie laughed scornfully. •' Don't think to please me by abusing my friends," she said. "You re a nice, affectionate brother; what are you likely to prove in other relations of life ?"

" To you, Ueoryit:,'' replied Viiicent, in a low voice, " I shall always be the same, ahvay tender and always true." '' Yes, till I do something to offend your highuess's fastidious taste," said Georgie, in a tone of banter, which half concealed ail inward conviction. And with that they drove away westwards, where Vincent presently pulled up before a handsome houso in Oornwallsquare, Kensington, which was only distinguishable from the other private houses in the square by an elaborate and fastidious neatness and brightness. Everything about Miss Lamprey's establishment was on a liboral and expensive scale, from the flower-boxes in the windows and balconies renewed by Her Majesty's florist —there aro many perhaps who bear the title, but this was the tip-top one of his class— from the window boxes even now bright with overgrcens and scarlet berries to the decorous and solemn man-servant, who had been servitor in a ducal mansion ; all about Miss Lamprey gavo the impression of good management and plentiful means, and yet notliiug was extravagant about Iter but her terms, which were arranged upon a sort of sliding scale, that started at a ratlior startling figure, and travelled upwards with leaps and bounds. For Miss Lamprey laid herself out for the daughters of millionaires, and baited for them with the daughters of marquises. An ordinary commercial magnate was treated with comparative leniency, but if the millions had the taint of pork or petroleum, or other rapid but slippery road to wealth, the entrance to Miss Lamprey's school could only be obtained by lavish disbursements. The marchioness had to be sweetened, it was said, as well as Miss Lamprey, but anyhow the result was that vacancies in the establishment were as eagerly competed for as if they had been places at court.

As the ph;eton drew up at Miss Lamprey's door and the groom jumped down to execute a flourish on the knocker, the doors flew open, a roll of matting was tumbled by invisible hands down the steps, and a smart young page tripped after it towards the carriage. A t the same moment, a shabby, ill-dressed fellow, with a pale, woe-begone face, came slouching along as Georgiana jumped down, disregarding the help of the " buttons," and the three, as our American friends express it, collided on the pavement. Upon this Vincent, abandoning the reins, leapt out and demanded of the slouching man, who stood there looking about him in a half-dazed way, what he meant by his impudence.

" I did'nt mean anything," paid the man in the calmly aggressive tone of a street loafer, but with an accent that showed a certain leaven of culture. " Somebody ran against me, I fancy. Is'nt this the public street, my fine fellow ?" Vincent glared at the man who thus inculcated unpalatable truths in impolite or too polite language. To be addressed as fine fellow ; he, Vincent Tryfoil, the most unassuming of men, yet with a strong inherent sense of his own dignity. The most incongruous epithet for him, he could not help feeling, and yet that had a certain sting about it. His own groom was trying to hide a smile, and the Miss Lamprey's page, had dignity permitted, would have turned himself into a cart, wheel on the spot with his suppressed delight. But Georgie saw I the glory of resentment on her

lover's face and interposed. " The man is quite right, Vincent it was my fault in not looking where I was going. I beg your pardon for my awkwardness," turning to the loafer. "Quite right," said the fellow, lifting his battered hat. " Perhaps the awkwardness was on my side ; but there was no impudence, I assure you," with an aggressive glance at Vincent. But Vincent stalked into the house and took no further notice of his opponent. The eyes of the mendicant followed the. pair with a keen and eager glance. "What's your master's name?" asked the trampish-looking fellow, addressing the groom who stood there, statue-like, at the horses' heads. "Ah ! " said the groom with a knowing look, " that's a questson I ain't bound to divulge—not to a gent like you, as might take unfair advantage of it. And what's more, there's a bobby coming round the corner and I'd advise you to make tracks." A glance over the shoulder showed the trampish man that the information, was correct, and he shambled off without any more parley. " I thought he was one of them sort," remarked the groom addressing the page, who winked and gave a sweeping gesture of derision at things in general. Then he rolled up the matting and following it into the hall slammed the doors behind him with a bang. Outside the air was dull and murky, and the trees in the square with their lealless branches gave a wintry dreariness to the scene. The square was deserted except for the plneton with its horses, whose glistening coats and polished harness gave a touch of brightness to the scene. The policeman advanced with leisurely stride, the tramp slinked till he had turned the corner, when he darted through an opening and was lost to sight.

Georgie had uiude her lover come in because she was afraid he would quarrel with the aggravating tramp, but once in the house she hardly knew what to do with him. Miss Lamprey wanted her, she knew, and Miss Lamprey did not care to receive visitors so early. But the sound of a piano from upstairs gave her an idea. "Go into the drawing-room, Vincent," she said, " and you will find the Volkuian girls there, who will be delighted to have you sing duets—l have got to talk business with Miss Lamprey." The Volknians were American girls whom Miss Lamprey took in as "guests"; they would have been called parlour borders in less distinguished schools. Anyhow they stayed in through the holidays and did pretty much as they liked at all times. Vincent found his way upstairs and was welcomed with flattering cordiality by the Americans, while Georgie knocked at the door of Miss Lamprey's room. " Come in," said a lirm, resonant voice, and Georgie entered. (To be continued.)