HAWTHORNDEAN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 180, 8 September 1876, Page 6

HAWTHORNDEAN.

CHAPTER XVI. I'LIRTATIOXS HIGH AND LOW. By the removal to lnglewood, Sobriety Top bad not fared so well a3 the otbers of the family. She found more companions of her own stamp, who were not improving either to her morals or manners. A cousin of hers, stimulated by hearing of her good fortune in falling into a ' big ' ' rich ' family, had emigrated to the region of Athlacca, and their meeting and •writings, for Sobriety bad acquired a certain use of the pen, gave Mrs. Ben ton concern for the girl which she bad not felt in the isolation of the Praiiie Farm. In going through the house she bad chanced upon a crumpled half sheet of paper, which she was about committing to the iljmes, when the chirograpby attracted her attention. Her first thought was of a lesson Sobriety had attempted to copy, as every line began with a capital letter ; but after some pains she deciphered the following, which we give literally, with the exception of tl.e form of the letters, which would require types never jet in use. " Deer dan i reckun i dont car A pic for wat riles v bout me I Not settin down to grub with I Mis bentun i dont wanter Cos i lik tv be round and so Mis maren thro her pooty i's Upter the doctur, which she duz I tel yur wen her pap ant lukin Now i tel jer if tba jive wont Eashe latun ruak a fus the Docturs so pourful gud he bant lif rashe latuns rite smart And mis maren aint no fulo She noes beter than to tak a Fellar wat haint a pic — Rashe was cut up i tel yer Wen she went to rid with the Doctur she sade to se the old farm. 11l mete v nex mundy Ni dv falliu yer own tru lur S t." Somehow this illy written and worse spelled epistle gave Mrs. Benton trouble in two ways. She feared Sobriety herself was going to the bad, and it brought to her mind thoughts that had come to her on several, occasions, and which she bad endeavored to express as vain, foolish and unnecessarily suspicious. For the first time she regretted the intimacy of Dr. kelson with the family wholly on his own account. She knew Marion's love of power, and she feared she might be somewhat unscrupulous in her ways of winning it. She had tried to quell these thoughts in the past, now she would confide them to her husband.

" This would indeed be a perplexing state of affairs, Lucy," was his reply to her first hint on the subject. " The thought is an entirely new one to me ; I have seen young Leighton'e fancy, but cau hardly

think Dr. Nelson implicated ; lam a poor gossip, but will have an eye to these matters. Don't trouble yourself, my dear," he added, seeing a look of anxiety on her face. " I am only afraid," she replied very gently, " that Marion's love of power may lead Ler to indiscretion."

"If I see any thing like trifling," he snid gravely, and in his old deoided manner, " I shall interfere at once. Has Mirion said any thing to lead you to suppose her own feelings were interested ?" " Never by word ; and I have not ventured on the subject lest I might suggest thoughts to her mind which as yet are strangerß, but she is not confiding like dear Rosa."

" No, Lucy, she has to leai*n through pride subdued and ambition quelled, as her father has, what a friend she may find in you. I pray"" God she may not have to suffer as I have done."

Once placed in a post of observation, tliere were few persons more penetrating in their gaze into the motives of action than Philip Benton, and but few days sufficed to show him that Dr. Nelson was attracted towards Marion ; but he was weeks in coming to the conclusion that bis daughter was deliberately and determinately giving both the young men sufficient encouragement to keep alive the flame kindling in their bearls. It distressed him, it shocked him, sometimes it angered him, but he waited, hoping he was mistaken, forbearing to tell his fears to his wife, knowing how deeply she would, with her delicacy, take such conduct to heart. He saw Marion time and again devote herself exclusively to Dr. Nelson when Leighton was present, seemingly absorbed in his society, scarcely noticing the other ; replying to Mr Leighton's observations in the shortest monosyllables, and. taking leave of him with a cool bow ; reversing her line of cond. ct at the next meeting, perhaps treating the Doctor with marked neglect, chatting and liughing with young Leigbton, permitting famous little amenities which the other did not dare to offer, till Dr. Nelson would hastily retire to his office without staying for his chat with Mr. Benton, and wishing in his heart tlat he had never seen the bewitching girl who had already fascinated him to a degree he would hardly acknowledge to himself. The father satisfied himself as to his daughter's designs, mortifying as the conclusion was ; be did not hear, to add to his mortification, the oly jokes of Sobriety which. Marion permitted, nor the foolish things said in the neighborhood, which she allowed Sobriety to repeat to her.

By the proposition of her father, she had been reviewing her knowledge of Latin with Dr. Nelson at stated times, when his calls were not urgent ; latterly there had been great negligence here ; a call from Horatio Leiyhton would entirely interrupt the lesson, or she would induce Dr. Nelson to talk on irrerelant subjects till the time was passed, leaving him with a seme of short-comiug in what he had undertaken. Mr. Benton had seen all this and made his resolution, nerving himself to the task of reproving his daughter with difficulty, his failing health leading him to dread any excitement. The fitting opportunity came sooner than he expected ; young Leighton had come in the midst of a Latin lesson for her company for a ride, horsea saddled and at the door. " Ah !" she saiil, shutting her boole, " how can I resist such a treat, Dr. Nelson, this beautiful spring morning ? you must excuse me."

He gently pleaded her father's wishes that they should be punctual in their lessons, but she, promising for another time, was off in a moment. Mr. Benton heard the voices in discussion, and his first impulse when be saw his daughter mounting for her ride was to recall her to her duties ; but on second thought she saw that, now in her womanhood, other motives than 'simple obedience to his commands must be brought to bear upon her.

She returned from a long exhilarating ride, glowing with health nnd spirits. The Leightons came over for the evening, but Dr Nelson did not appear till a lute hour, when Marion met him with her sweetest smile, assuring him they bad missed him so much, and planting herself by his side, apologized prettily for the morning delinquency, devoting herself so entirely to him to the neglect of the other guests as to be almost rude.

She was recalled to herself by her father's voice (whose every tone she knew) inquiring if she did not hear Mr. Leighton asking her to sing. She went with evident reluctance to comply with this request, calling Dr. Nelson to turn the music for her, n§ turned to her chatting with the Doctor as soon as she could with propriety, and was apparently absorbed in the conversation the remainder of the evening, scarcely noticing young Leighton as he rose to go, with the delightful memories of the morning ride embittered by the experience of the evening. Mr. Benton detained Marion whpa she came for the " good-night kiss," he looked at her steadily for a moment till her eyelids droo.j^^ under his penetrating gaze, and taking the candle from her handßF said, "My daughter, I have a word to say to you." She took her seat with an instinctive dread of a reprimand for her morning negligence, she did not realize that her father's gaze saw further than this neglect of duty.

" Marion," he said, after they had sat in silence some moments, and with a voice in which sternness and love were striving for the mastery, though he laid his hand affectionately on her arm, " your natural love of power, my child, is leading you to trifle with the holiest affection one creature can bestow upon another." The telltale blush suffused Marion's cheek, but she did not look up. He continued, " I hoped for a long time that I was mistaken, and that your behavior was the result of ignorance, but I can think so no longer. I trusted your conscience would check you by a sense of the sinf ulness of your course, or proper womanly feelings would have restrained you from such unmaidenly, I had almost said unchaste conduct." " O papa !" she exclaimed, weeping, " you are so severe !" "Truth often seems seveie," he replied, " but could a truly pure, correct woman, coquet as you are doing ?" " But what am I to do ?" she inquired, summoning resolution to excuse herself.

"You are to return to your duties," he replied sternly. "Do you realize," he added more mildly, " that you are doing that which trill eventually break up our pleasant circle, and make enemies where

all w ere before friends, by your fittul conduct towards both Dr. Nelson and Mr. Leighton ?" " But, papa," she said in a whisper, " I have no reason to sup posp either of these gentlemen desires to be any thing more thon a friend : I thought no lady had a right to think so, till the gentleman had spoken." " That is a miserable subterfuge, my child ; as if there were no way of speaking except with the lips. No man in his senses will offer his hand and Imart to a woman, unless she has given him reason to believe she looks upon him with favor ; and (there are exceptions, but they only prove the rule), a refused lover, as a general thing, ought to cause a woman shame and sorrow that she has, through ignorance or indiscretion, led to the confession of a love that cannot be reciprocoted."

" But puppose, dear papa," said Marion, " one only wishes to regard all as friends ?" This was said with a pretty downcast look, quite charming ; but for what he had himself seen, her father would have felt that she was uttering the true sentiments or her heart. He looked at her a moment as if doubtful what to say ; at length, trying to repress the inclination to mistrust her truthfulness, he said, " If one has no choice in heart, one shouH avoid giving decided preference to either, as I have seen you do many times, my daughter, a marked preference ; that is coquetry, systematic, deliberate coquetry, and gives rise, O my child, to the most hellish ft-elings in the breast of man that can be cherished. Yes, this has made men liars — murderers — adulterers !" His tone was slow, solemn and earnest, as he uttered these words ; and Mnrion trembled at the depth of their meaning

" I will try to do right, papa," she said softly,

" God help you," he replied, kissing her affectionately ; " I expect, you to do right, and if you have doubts as to matters of propriety, I can recommend your mother as a safe confidant."

There was a shade of reproach as he said this, that went direct to the fountain* of her heart, already somewhat moved.

" Dear papa," she exclaimed, throwing her arms about his neck, " I have nothing to confide."

" Marion," he said, removing her arms and holding both her hands in his while he gazed into her face, which she in vain endeavored to hide, "you have not yet learned to be true with yourself." From that day Marion was continually conscious of her father's watchful eye, her pride liad received a powerful check, and she was more circumspect in his presence ; but Ihere were many nameless tiny delicate ways, in which her love of power and desire of admiration were displayed, which were not unobserved by another eye, equally vigilant and more jealous than Mr. Benton's. Alice Leightou saw with penetrating scrutiny how evenly her friend held the balance of her admiration between her brother and the Doctor. She knew nothing of tl c ways of the world, but her own guileless heart told her there was a wrong in Marion's course, and gradually the warm friendship which she had given her was transferred in all its confidence to Mrs. Benton. She, with her gentle, firm nature, took the young invalid readily to her heart, and became the repository of all her hopes and frars. She understood her nature better than her more common-place mother, and in the end helped her in her efforts after that which was of more value to her than even health.

Marion was still the reigning queen in Athlacca society, not only by superiority of education and accomplishment, but by her native energy and will. Envious ones called her a " pushing girl," and though exceedingly popular, she failed thoroughly to please her parents.

Dr. Nelson, busied though he was by au ever increasing practice, saw that the image of Marion Benton came between him and every other earthly object. He began to look at other things through the medium of his growing love for her, and it gave brightness to his many solitary hours, when he could bi ing himself to hope that ultimately she might share them. He was not much given to building air-castles, his chastened and subdued nature had taught him better ; but Marion had attracted and fascinated him, and it must be a hard wrench that could liberate a constant nature like his from such a thraldom. His knowledge of the character of woman and her motives of action was exceedingly limited, and he often blamed hifiiself for Marion's capricious ways, fancying, when she looked coldly on him, that he had in his ignorance neglected some point of propriety, and offended her delicate perceptions. The great lack in Dr. Nelson's character was a just appreciation of himself ; with that, he would have advanced more rapidly in the world, and been more successful in lovo.