AN ALIEN INVADER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2, 12 January 1905, Page 24

AN ALIEN INVADER.

The train from Leeds to Harrogate was just about to sitart when tihe quiet of a certain compartment was broken by the entrance of a pair of tall, good-looking damsels ajnd a yioung mjan snifficiontly like tjlieni to be recognised as a brother. Of the two previous occ;ipajnfcs, the sedlate, white-haired old gentleman who had been nodding im a corner merely opened his eyes ajid closcds Iliem agam , b,ut the othcor, a s,to»it, sityii^h latiy, effusively greeted the girls, who seated themselves a\ i,th a swirl anfd swish of skirts and chatelaine's, talking all the while as if they A\ere under a v,ow to utter the greatest number ot words in the smallest possible space of lime. ' Just getting home like ourselves, Mrs. Hopkins ? ' s&M the elder. ' Amy and I h^ve bean sh'op-shoip-sHiop-ping until we were ready to collapse, and Cyril threatened to leaive us to our fate. It's too awfully cold for a*ny thing.' ' " Clauld " you moan, Hilda,' corrected Amy ; and the compartment rang with their mirth. ' Cawlld, then— awfu' cauld ava,' gasped Hilida ; and the olri gentleman m t-he Conner rqpeatod his former rmovemefnt, tjhe y,oun« one slightly frowned, whilst Mrs. H/qp'kiJns looked mystified. ' What is the joke ? ' she as.ked. ' Oh, well, you know Aunt Latham is always 'doing stomething queer ! ' began Amy. ' And last summer ahe was tauiritnjg in Scotland—' ' An]d she met some Miss Bairti,' interposed her sistet—' a native, an aborigine— don't yqu (know ?— to whom sfhe took one of her absMrd fancies.' ' And invited the girl and her father to visit her,' aopLwijued Amy ; ' and they are coming, amd we are trying to learn the language so as to be intelligible to Uhe tforeftgjners.' ' It will be rather an affliction, I dare 'say,' agreed Mrs. Hopkins. ' But why does Mrs. Latham burden herself with auah persons ? ' ' Oih, I exj>ect they iorcqd themselves irpon her ! ' s|aid Amy s.ag^ciiou.sly. l She is too oommoinicative, you know ; amd they would soon find out that she had a well-t)o-dio young bachelor of a nep"hew, a,\\d they would ttoady to her to serve their own ends. She is always advising Cyril to marry, so I think the .object of ,tjhc invitation and its acceptance is beautifully clear.'

1 Less obivtaus is the chanty tEat tfainketji no ill,' remarked Cyril q.uietly. ' I ttli|nk yf> u ar e capable of protecting your brother, sai(d Mrs. Hopkins, attably ad'uressing t|he girls. ' I q|uite agree with you that my sisiters are likely to pjove an elhcieint safeguard against matrimony ' s^ijd ■olie y,o^|ng map, with some dryness. I 'have met Scotch people who were really very nice,' declared Mrs. Hopkins, vaguely endeavoring to cast oil u^pioin troubled waters.

' That is within the limits of possibility,' he repliQd. ' But Amy and Hilda n a ve made up their minds beforehand to dish'ke Mrss Bawd, awd to see in her and her father o\nly what ls abautfd or objectionable. lam not sufficiently up-to-date to enjoy ridiqule of strangers especially wshen one of them is a lady.' ' Oh, Cyril is always a wet blanket : he can never take a j^ke-l ' cried Amy ; whilst Hilda pronounced him ' lon.g-fia.cetd en/dugh to be Miss Bair'd's father.' Possibly there was a good deal of earnestness in their jesting, as both girls were in an alliance with eaqh other to prevent their brother's marriage, which evqnt wiauld miake a considerable difference to themselves. To keep Cyril a celibate until they had made good matches ' was the chief enti and aim of their existence ; but so far no eligible youth hiaid shiowto any inclination to spend his life listening to the disburse of either one of the Thurston girls. A few days after this conversation the TJnurstons were sipping tea in their artis-tic drawing-rbom, a replica of an eighteenth-oentmry apartment, .with greatgr.a.ntdm'.other Tihurston gazing from a frame of leather rosea and foliage at the distant spires and 'gilded domes of Har^ojgate. A carriage had stopped at the big white porch, amd presently the maid announced : ' Miss Baird ! ' ' She has positively called without being invited ! ' ' And without owr having called upon her ! Oih, tihis is a little tao barefaced ! ' Army amd Hilda had just time to hurl those remarks at Uynl when the visitor entered ; and sine was so much wforse tha)n they had hoped that their breath was taken qruite away. She was attired in a costume of red alwct wihite tartan, crowned with a h.uge white Tarn O'Shamter ; here and there a pebble brooch the size of a muffin indicated her taste in jewellery ; her hair, shinilug wiUh oil, was ' dog's-eared ' roumd a face painfully 'hiigfh in complexion ; and gamboge froots, that illustratqd tihe theory that feminine feet are increasing in si/c, slbjqne resplendent above iJhe subdued tints of the Thurston carpet". Hilda was tthe first to recover from the s/hock of this apparition, tossing her chin upward and making the mostt of h«r height. | Whore is Mrs. Latham ? ' she asked, freezingly. Awa to Leeds. She did.na Jken I was coming here, but I was kiuna anxious to see what like you were.' You Ihiad no difficulty in finding your way to my brother's house,' said Hilda, deep and deadly meaning in the remark. ' With a, ffiide Scots tohgjue in ma Jieid, I'm no likely to loss mysel anywheres,' was the ofE-ha-wded reply of the stronger, whom Amy was eyeing from head to fgot with a dazzling smile.' ' Yolti are aure that you are Miss Baird ? ' she askqd s-itavely. ' Bh ? ' f|uorictd the other, perplexedly. ' Oh, njothing ' Ooily I thought she had sent her tnaM to represent her, perhaps. Scotch manners and customs are rather peculiar,' said Amy, her cool, deliberate, smiling stare unrelaxed. Cyril intenposed a chair and a— 1 Won't you sit down, Miss Baird ? Shall I ring for i resin tea, Hilda'? ' 6 Hilfla mturmmred something inaudible, l*ut performed hem d/uty as hostess. Amy set flown her cup and walked to the piano, with an air of withdrawing herself from inferior surroundings. She began to play "Bid me good-ibye and go ! ' wiheorenpiom Cyrifs face flushed, hut Misis Baird remained unn^o,vqd. ' But can yioju no play something cheery ? ' she asked. Amy looked rotund her ear to answer : ' Can't you ? You look musical ! ' Miss Baird responded with alacrity. ' I'll give you one o1o 1 the auld Scots songs,' said she, amd thumped forth an accompaniment to the following :

H/aggis broo is bla' amd braw', Kittle kail is a' awa, Souaxi the s,pleucha,n o'er the Stane, P'hilabeg,s are a' their lane, Hedu the pihr odh, heoh the pladdie, Hecih the so.nsae ftinnaJn hajdjdie— Hoot awa, Hoofc awa-a !

The melody to which the words were wedded was weiricl— It was fitful and wild as the breeze, It wandered a-bout into several keys— but the Thurston girls hailed the performance with — ' Lovely ! Now, couldn't you dance a reel or a fling, or something ? ' Agjaim Cyril interposed. ' Miss Bairti m^ist not tire herself out for our arrtiusem<jnt/ ho said. ' Suppose you favor us with a hornpipe, Amy ? Or perhaps Hilda will do a Lancashire dtep-danpe ? ' These requests reduced the girls to wrathful sUance, amU Mls's Bairkl rose to depart. ' I've emjoyed mjysel ffrie,' she said, as Mr. Thurston bairded her into the carriage as if she had beem a tikiphess. * Ista't she a beauty ? ' cried Hilda, as he re-entered the tiT&wifrg-riObm. 1 Sine has magnificent eyes awd a perfect profile,' he answered. Aunt Latham was right in sayihg tihat. 1 1 Well, Ejhe has give,n us sometlhtoig to lajugh at,' tihe girla (declared witih almost hysterical mirth. •It will be splendid flua to draw her out. 1 Perhja|>s she will return the compliment,' tie said— an absurd suggestion that met with sqorn and derision. The mittdle of the week brought a note from Aunt Latiham asking her nieces and nephew to a miusical • At Home.' The nieces decided not to go, declaring that they oo|i|d not stand * another dose of Miss Baird ' ; and they felt that there was no danger of Cyril's being captivated by such an outlandish person. Consequently he presented himself at Mrs. Latham's without hits usjual bodyguard. He was exchanging greetings with his numerous acquaintances when his aunt tapped his shoulder with her fajn ajn|d nyirmaired an introduction. He bowed to a slender giirl in creamy voile, and he recognised tthe splendid eyes and the perfect profile. But the complexion was delicately clear, and tihe soft fair hair curled away; from a brow of immaculate whiteness. 1 We haive met before,' said she, as the hositess passed on tjo other guests ; though you seem to have forgjottejn.' ' Yoli-y.au. look so differant Ln evening dress ! ' he faltered ; amd a dimple came and went in her dainty chin. 1 Don't you admire the national costume of bonnie Scotland, then ? ' she asked demjurely. ' Haive I seen it ? I suspected you were laughing at us— tjhat sjomewhere lucked a hoax, a practical joke. Now lam Sure. But why, wherefore ? ' ' Call it retaliation, 1 she suggested. ' I <am still at sea. Won't yqu help me to the &'hore of understanding ? Here is a qiuiet nook where you migjht kindly explain the mystery.' He held aside a curtain beyond which was a balpojiy orvertilajnging the dewy garden. After a brief hesitation she stepped forth and he followed. ' Half a dozen words will suffice,' she said, rather coldly. ' When people disdusis absent persons, and accuse them of unworthy schemes and mptiives, they shotold be store that tftiose persons really are absent, or else prepare for reprisals.' ' To what or to whom is the allusion ? ' ' Oh, to a certain dialogue in a certain comportment when my dear old father heard himself and me and our natiowality ridiculed ! ' Memjory gave one of her lightning flashes, and the thunderclap of comprehension followed. Cyril's face burned ; he stood still and silent. * Fattier was hurt and angry,' i,he girl resumed ; 1 and I was rjather worse when he told me. So I masqueraded. I owe my sojng to " Punch "—the jojurnbl, not tihe beverage. But I hope I have convinced the Misses Thurston that Ido not wish to attract their brother. I wp,s at some pains to achieve the opposite result.' IWe ought to be ashamed of ourselves,' he com'ceHed. * Wihy do ydu say " we 1 " and " qur "? ' she asked in a gentler tone. 'On both otpasioms you behaVed as a gentlemian.' 1 ThaJnk you ! But you must allow me to apologise for my sisiters» You can afford to forgive, as the laugh is witto ypu.' 1 Please dion't. lam not at all proud of my exploit mow. It will have to be a cape of mutual forgiveness. '

When the gjuests had dispersed arid Madge Bairtt was brushing her Ipng hair before her toilet glass, Mrs. Lathero, pllimt) and stately in her drdssing^gown, waliked into the rjriom and subsided into the easiest chair <

•My diiW,' sfaW she, ' you will give people ca,ife« to talk,, and I don't waint my nephew branded as a fortunehunter.' 1 O|h, I hja/ve been branded as a fortune-huntress ! ' rejplied Madge. ' But why these reproaches ? ' 4 Do you .know how long you were on that balctony with Cyril Th'urstjon ? ' ' Ai few minutes, I dare say. Why ? ' ' Well, if tihree solemn quarters of an hour seemcid only <a tew minutes, I have nothing more to say except goM-nigjht ! ' It was the prime of Summer-time when Mrs. Hbppdltts announced tjo her lord and master that Cyril Th.urs'fcon was artgjagjed to be married to that rich and pretty Miss Baird. ' I tifoduaht his sisters detested her,' said he. ' Oh, not now ! And what if they d|o ? Cyril and sjhe are devtotad U> each other ; and, after all, it is otnly that w|iiph matters.'