>** Jp£j • *:> > > 3> THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES A ■ .<■ n LONDON : PUINTED BY MACDONALD AND TUGWELL, BLENHEIM HOUSE, BLENHEIM STREET, OXFORD STREET. 4" > ft i TO MY DEAR NIECES- CATHARINE JANE AND MARY GRACE CHRISTIAN ; AND ALSO TO MY DEAR GODCHILDREN — AMY SOPHIA, KATHARINE ALEXANDRA, AND MILDRED. 8G4517 ENGLISH INTRODUCTORY. " TO A YOUNG LADY ABOUT TO WRITE A NOVEL." " Y^Oj my girl, try and give us a story without ±J a villain. I assure you I never saw a villain. I am bound to believe such creatures exist, but I am as sure as I am that I hold this pen, that the greatest amount of real suffering in life is not produced by villainy. Life is made up of two elements — an element of will and an ele- ment of fatality. The misery which is struck out in the conflict, or rather the interaction of the two, has usually for its apparent and efficient excuse the misunderstandings of people of average — and sometimes more than average — goodness. " Let me earnestly dissuade you from writing a novel of the detective order. A long sensation storv, whose movement is carried forward stage by stage, puzzle after puzzle, in the manner of a detective officer playing the novelist, and to le: on the mind, even of any one who has been en- tertained by it, a strong emotion of disgust. It must do so if it makes its way for any Length time among the domesticities," &c. — From 1 1< Holbeach, Student in Life and Philosophy. VOL. I. B CHAPTER I. '• BELLS CALL OTHERS TO CHURCH, BUT GO NOT THEM- SELVES." WE will not write a chapter on bells, and the impressions they make on susceptible or even on passionless natures ; we shall content ourselves by saying that the bells rang merrily from the old church-tower of Prellsthorpe, and the listeners thereto were very variably influenced thereby. " Our time will be taken up with dinners, balls, visitings here and there, and goodness only knows for what!" murmured the learned Rector of Prells- thorpe, as he paced with his hands behind him, backwards and forwards through the shrubberies. " And I do not think those very sweet bells ever sounded so wearisome or so discordant to mine ear." There were at the same time two fair girls in the flower-garden, and they also made their re- marks on the same subject. " How glad and playful the bells are to-night," said Brenda Cheetham, the Rector's daughter. MAIDENHOOD. 3 " How merry and joyous ! ; ' said the Lady Grel Stuart. "I love bells, Brenda, they are almost like human beings, they seem to tell us so much — and they are indeed jocund and exultant now. Listen, Brenda, listen !" The girls stood for a moment or two in motion- less silence, then the stillness was broken by the Lady Grel, who said : " Yet sometimes, Brenda, these same bells weep — positively weep." " That is pure nonsense, Grel. They are always glad, and happy-sounding, and mirthful to me," said Brenda Cheetham — " only excepting the lugubrious time of ' tolling, tolling.' ' " Hush, Brenda ! — do not mingle a sorrowful omen with joy-bells." Brenda Cheetham did not reply. She was oc- cupied in trying to bring into order the vigorous and lengthv trailing shoots of choice Avrshire roses that grew in that part of the garden, and the Lady Grel walked on alone. "I cannot quite restrain my delight at the knowledge that my relatives are indeed at Prells- thorpe Park — even in Brenda Cheetham's pre- sence this joyfulness on my part will peep out ; gladness — gladness and joy of heart make me an- ticipate a future happy career — that I shall now enter the world — that I shall not always live here in this quiet Rectory." And, in spite of some reproach of conscience as 4 MAIDENHOOD. to her desire to leave a place that had always been a home and a haven of rest to her, she moved rapidly from one path to another, skipping now here now there, in a pleasurable state of excite- ment, now touching this flower, now that, gather- ing here one and there one, inhaling their com- bined sweetness, and still listening — listening to the bells pealing merrily on. " I could dance — positively dance gleefully at the ever-recurring chime of those gay joy-bells ! How glad they are, nay, how merrily clanging ; there is not a single tear — no, not one !" and again the Lady Grel paused and listened. Had she been as learned as ourselves who write her veracious history, perhaps she had not uttered the next sentence we have to record from her lips. We know that moisture in the atmosphere pro- duces an effect upon the sound of bells, in some instances and in some low localities, so to lower the tone of each bell as to make the peal sound more of a minor than a major octave ; and the unlearned, and, in this matter, superstitiously- minded Lady Grel Stuart, records this fact in the following speech : " Why, the very last marriage-peal rung from that belfry, was a weeping, weeping chime ! And where is the bride now f In some counties the old crones in the villages say, " The bells are crying — the marriage will not be a happy one." We conclude the Lady Grel had been brought up in this lore. MAIDENHOOD. "I have no remembrance of my uncle and aunt," resumed she, " and but little of Irene and Danby — it must be some nine or ten years since -we met." Then, after a little pause, her thoughts again turned to the bells. " There again — there again," said she, "the joyously clamouring peal. Those sweet bells, those learned bells ! They foretell happy meetings, heartfelt greetings, danc- ing and song, hearths and homes, hope and love — I know it and feel it — I feel it. Ye bells, oh ! ye bells, ye sportive bells, ye make me glad and merrie-hearted ! Ah ! I am formed for com- panionship, not for isolation. " If anyone could read my thoughts," continued she, musingly — " if they could see into my desires, and look upon me thus elated, they might wrongly interpret my character. I have been happy here in this peaceful Rectory — I love and reverence my kind and excellent tutor and guardian, Mr. Cheet- ham, and also I love and esteem Mrs. Cheetham. For Brenda, though I feel and know she and I are very different, yet while we have been together we have agreed well enough — or per- haps, I should say, we do not quarrel. It is rather change of companionship than actual distaste for my present position — rather a longing for novelty, and, also, rather a wish to enter that far-off world my cousin Irene describes so charm- ingly in her letters, than a desire to forget these, my kind friends, under whose hospitable roof I have lived so peaceably." 6 MAIDENHOOD. But the lady's further musings were interrupted by the appearance of Mrs. Cheetham, who said : " How these bells do weary me ! " " Then, indeed, I do wish they would stop," said Lady Grel, raising her eyes to the belfry ; and, to her amazement, suddenly, as she spoke, the clamour ceased. " Now, if every wish of my dear ward's could be answered as quickly and as favourably as this," said the Rector, who now joined the ladies. " You would consider it highly proper to coun- sel me always to wish for things good in them- selves — ay, so good, that the attainment of them should neither do harm to me nor to others. Now, do not shake your head so mysteriously ; you know you consider it a duty to counsel me," said the Lady Grel, playfully. " A privilege — indeed, a privilege which, I fear, will soon be taken from me. We shall lose our sweet ward ; she longs for the grand and the gay. Already she " " Hush ! — hush !" said the Lady Grel, deprecat- ingly — " I know I wish to see the world — I know I rejoice that my own relatives will dwell so near to this Rectory, and I acknowledge my inward happiness, and my aspiring hopefulness. But if you, my dear sir, or, indeed, if any here think I shall leave my present pleasurable and tranquil home without regret, they are mistaken. Indeed, as you know, I still intend to make this residence my real home, though I admit I wish to know MAIDENHOOD. 7 more of the world at large. I pray you, think not ill of me," and here the young lady stepped back a little from the group, which now consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Cheetham and Brenda, and her figure dilated, and her eye kindled, as she continued, in eager and hurried tones : " Here the very stones speak to me of the past — the past, that delights me to remember, and to dwell upon ; there," and she raised her arm, and pointed in the direction of Prellsthorpe Park, " the ground is untrodden ; it may — and I trust it will — bring companionship, peace, and love, but it has no enduring past. Here I have truth, nature, reality, kind friends, and affectionate hearts — these I have proved. There, I have relations and novelty, a new and unaccustomed routine of my daily life ; it is the untried freshness that brings the charm." " The dews are heavy — we will not remain longer in the open air," said the good Rector, approaching his ward, taking her kindly by the hand, and drawing her arm through his own, as he left the garden, followed by Mrs. Cheetham and Brenda. The Reverend Charles John Cheetham had been tutor to the late Earl of Prellsthorpe, who, on coming to the title, had taken the earliest opportunity of bestowing one of the many livings in his gift upon his friend, and who was all the better pleased that the living of Prellsthorpe fell so opportunely, since it would be the means of continuing to him the society of a gentleman 8 MAIDENHOOD. for whom he had a strong personal regard. The late Earl was a man of letters. Left a widower with an only child, and mourning the loss of his Countess deeply, he retired prematurely from the world, in which he had hitherto lived with so much honour to himself, and took refuge in a life of quiet study in the country, his only companions his baby daughter and Mr. Cheet- ham, then residing at the Rectory. If he ever felt a regret that this child was a girl, and, conse- quently, could never succeed him in his titles, and the wealth belonging to them, he, at least, never expressed so much. He was ardently attached to her in her babyhood, and saw more of her infantine doings, and heard more of her childish sayings, than most fathers. Delighting in the literature of the day as well as in that of past ages, enjoying the society of learned men, and yet, by his early loss in his Countess, debarred for a time from entering the world, his great and well-stored mind turned for relaxation to the pretty sayings and doings of his little daughter, Grel. At about the age of five years the little lady was consigned to the care of the first Mrs. Cheet- ham for one hour each day, this lady undertaking her education jointly with that of her own daugh- ter, Brenda. Lord Prellsthorpe had never been of a vigorous constitution, and whether from his great love of, and devotion to, literature, or his rather unwise and MAIDENHOOD. 'J lengthened seclusion, or his grief for the loss of his lady, or for all these causes together, or for any other cause, certain it is his health gradually declined, and he became aware he should not live to see his little child grow to womanhood. He consigned her, in the event of his death — which happened shortly after — to the guardian- ship and protection of his friend, Mr. Cheetham, to be brought up by him in the bosom of his own family, with his own and only daughter. The Earl was not an ambitious man. He did not sti- pulate that at a given period his high-born child should enter the walks of fashion and take her place among her equals. She was under the entire control of Mr. Cheetham until her eigh- teenth year. The Earl had only a moderate per- sonalty to bestow upon her, and if at the time of his death, as the daughter of a nobleman of high rank, the young lady's portion was not large, in the strict integrity of her guardian, and her own somewhat long minority, her wealth had nearly doubled ; and on her coming of age at eighteen, she would not longer be regarded as a portionless, if those of her own rank did not consider her a rich young lady. At the opening of this chronicle the Lady Grel had passed her seventeenth birth- day. Prellsthorpe Park had been uninhabited from the time of the death of the late Earl. His brother, the present peer, after consigning his relative to the family vault, made over the dwell- ing-house to the care of servants. His time since 10 MAIDENHOOD. that period had been spent for the most part in occasional sojourns in the various capitals of Europe, though this was not so much by his own wish as by that of his lady, who was a great in- valid, and dependent on a large circle of acquaint- ance for her daily amusement, and who delighted in the change from one place to another. Early in the London season of the year 18 — , this lady had been recommended by her medical attendant to try the bracing air of Prellsthorpe, and to put herself under the care of a physician of repute in that neighbourhood, a Dr. Quinn. This advice she had very reluctantly followed, but life is clear to all, and, reassured by the promise that Lord Prellsthorpe and her son and daughter would leave London for her sake, and take up their resi- dence in the country, she at length consented to abide by the opinions of her physicians. And thus it happened that the Lady Grel Stuart was in expectation of meeting with her nearest relatives, and of having a change in the ordinary routine of her life. Another death caused a great sorrow for the time being at Prellsthorpe Rectory — Mrs. Cheet- ham died soon after Lord Prellsthorpe. In the course of a year or two her place was filled by the present Mrs. Cheetham, already introduced to the reader. It is true, as we have recorded, that Lord Danby and the Lady Irene Stuart had consented to ac- company then- invalid • mother to Prellsthorpe MAIDENHOOD. 11 Park, but their ideas of country life were widely at variance with such, as they very early discovered it to be at this season of the year. "The country " in their experience meant large baronial or ducal residences, filled with the nobility and gentry of the land, with a change in the usual routine of their amusements — riding to cover with a pleasant party instead of the Bois de Boulogne, &c. ; but to retire to the country to hear the cuckoo, when London was fast filling, was almost too much for their patience. The lady mourned over London lost to her for this season, at least ; and the gentle- man wondered if the month of August would ever arrive, or if it could even be possible to live until grouse-shooting commenced, at which time he might hope to flee from the wearisomeness and tameness of Prellsthorpe to better employment and more congenial society. 11 1 yawn whenever I turn my eyes around this heavy saloon ; do not you, D. ?" said the lady. "I do not so much care for the heavy and faded furniture as I do for faces — faces, Irene — human faces. If one had only some stupid girl to tease, or some pretty one to please, the house and its sombreness might do well enough. Hei^ho ! Ren — Ren, I say, what on earth shall I do with myself t" "What shall / do, D.? Wood says there is not a living creature within twenty miles, excepting only the stupid old Rector and his wife, who have had our cousin Grel all these years; and a Mr. 12 MAIDENHOOD. Hamilton, a recluse — a bookworm, a sort of dig- nified stolid old bachelor, who goes nowhere, sees nobody, and — I daresay does nothing." "Then I will give him something to do. Where does he live, Ken ? Tell me, and I will play off upon him a few practical jokes, that may serve for the time being to amuse me, and — and help to enliven him. Ha ! ha ! — ha ! the very thought raises my spirits !" " You remember Prellsthorpe Abbey ?" "Yes, Ren. The old sinner lives there, does he ? But your information is not entirely to be relied upon. There is a wonderful old gentleman living at Heraldstowe ; he is as old as the hills, and there are other marvellous human beings on that side of the Park. Let me explain to you, Ren. The village of Prellsthorpe and the Rectory are on one side of the Park ; the Abbey, with its grounds, on the other. And on the same side as the Abbey, but some miles distant, dwell sundry neighbours of different degrees of rank. " Then we shall not have much to do with that stupid and stony village, D. ?" " Only to drive through it when we wish to visit on that side of the county ; but the best people live on the other side." " And who are the best people ?" " The Barrymores of Heraldstowe ; the Fortes- cues ; and the great Catholic Maynooths of Wolfs- craig. When I was here some six or seven years ago, I became intimate with several first-rate speci- MAIDENHOOD. 13 mens of dulness belonging to these families. We will look them up in clue time, Ren, amuse our- selves, and sharpen their wits somewhat." " They must look us up, D.," said the lady yawning. " But now that I look into that past, say seven years since, I recall my cousin Orel's sweet face. Ren, suppose we go to the Rectory, and so take a peep at Grel. She will turn out a queer little countrified dot, no doubt. When I saw her last, Ren, she was growing up after the pattern of the Cheethams, round, and dumpy, nothing of the Stuart in her ; her sweet face soured by rustic learning, her high birth lowered by consorting with strange individuals. A smile would be a boon to your features at this moment, Ren ; but we shall enjoy a hearty laugh if we only look up Grel : come, Irene, come ?" " Nonsense, D., the Rectory ought to come to the Park. And besides, I hate walking, and I could not walk so far if 1 made the attempt." " True, Ren, true. The Rectory ought to come to the Park ; but Rectories do not always as they ought, and in this instance it is a little too early to expect even a Rectory to make a call upon a Park. Ah ! ah ! ah ! do you not know, Ren, that the Rectory sent to inquire after the Park? And a long reply was concocted between the excellent butler and the gracious housekeeper belonging to this establishment here, to the purport, 'That my lady was very ill with the effects of the journey, 14 MAIDENHOOD. that Dr. Quinn had desired her ladyship to keep her room ; that my young lord and my young lady were very tired, and quite unused to such trouble- some journeys,' &c, &c. — and upon these crumbs the Rectory will naturally subsist for a day or two longer, if we do not break in upon their dreams. And so, Ren, if the Park goes to the Rectory at so critical a time, only imagine the astonishment of the natives ! How they will be taken aback ! How very wide they will open their surpassingly ugly eyes ! Do not say me nay, Irene ; I will drive you. It will be something to do." " It will surely turn out stupid, D." " It will surely release us from our present stupidity. Come, Irene, come, rouse yourself ; you will die of the malady of yawns, if I do not rescue you by this drive. I shall ring for my horses." CHAPTER II. FOLLY IS THE PRODUCT OF ALL COUNTRIES AND AGES. "1 TAVE you seen Mr. Hamilton, mamma?" 1 i said Brenda Cheetham. " He called about half an hour ago, and said if he did not meet with you in the village he would call again." " No, love, I have not seen him. In all proba- bility he wanted to make some arrangement for the school-feast. Was that it V MAIDENHOOD. 15 " Oh ! no ! I ventured to hint as much, but he pooh-poohed me in his usual manner." " Nonsense, Brenda. He is an ex " " My dear mother, Mr. Hamilton will not be without a supporter while you live, although he does pooh-pooh your daughter most abominably." " Is that the Mr. Hamilton who has lately ar- rived in this neighbourhood?" said the lady Grel. " Lately arrived, ray dear," said Brenda mock- ingly- "He is an excellent well-meaning and gen- tlemanly man, my dear," said Mrs. Cheetham, " and if he would only marry, there might be a nice lady companion at the Abbey for you and Brenda, as well as for our new comers at the Park." " We must send again to inquire for your rela- tives, Grel," continued she : " I fear the journey has been very trying to the Countess." " And he is not married," said the lady Grel, referring to Mr. Hamilton ; "why, I really thought he was a staid father of a family." "Looks staid, Grel," said Brenda again mock- ingly ; " and is not married, at least to the best of our knowledge in these parts. Only think, dear Grel, that very dignified, very excellent, very handsome, and certainly ' staid ' Mr. Hamilton has never loved ! — proof, not married !" "Never to love, and never to marry, are two things, Brenda; not married is no proof of nol loving," said Grel. 16 MAIDENHOOD. Brencla elevated her eyebrows, and stooped her head in the attitude of listening. "And yet it is true, a man may love without even intending to marry ; and also marry without being in love," said Grel, replying to Brenda's atti- tude. " Is it possible ! — the base creature !" said Brenda, affecting to discredit Grel's remarks. " But I, as a woman," resumed Grel, not at all seeing that Brenda was drawing out her opinions on this subject — " I, as a woman, determine " Now the expression of Brenda's face arrested her attention, and she suddenly ceased speaking. " Determine what, Grel, dear ?" said Brenda, in a more agreeable tone and manner, which together reassured Grel, and gave her courage to finish the sentence. " I determine, Brenda, that I will not marry unless I love most devotedly. I cannot say I will not love unless I marry, because, you see, it might happen that " Grel again paused, and blushed, and Brenda resumed : " Charmingly sentimental, my dear, and I only wish that ' staid ' Mr. Hamilton heard you." " Hush, Brenda ! — hush !" said Grel, her brow and cheeks crimsoning with annoyance — " I was only talking a little nonsense with you, and was not thinking of Mr. Hamilton." " My dear girls, do not quarrel on such foolish matters," said Mrs. Cheetham, " and more espe- MAIDENHOOD. 17 cially now, for is not that the Prellsthorpe livery?" — she pointed to the open window. The surprise and conjectures of the three ladies at the sight of a carriage from the Park were speedily put an end to by the announcement of Lord Danby and the Lady Irene Stuart. " My dear Irene ! — how very kind !" said Grel, approaching her cousin with empressement. " Kind ! — to be sure — very kind. Did we not know Mrs. Cheetham's kindness was perennial ?" said Lord Danby, purposely perverting the mean- ing of his cousin's words. " Were we not sure she would receive old friends at any hour ?" continued he, as he retained Mrs. Cheetham's hand, and stooped to her in a friendly manner ; when she attempted to speak, he interrupted her by saying, "Not a word, my dear madam — your tongue is of no value to you," and he gently pressed her hand in a kind manner, " for your eyes are windows, by the means of which we read your heart, and we there discover that we are welcome. I see even more — I see that you not only forgive the rashness of this unearthly-houred intrusion ; but more still — even that you have forgotten and forgiven the boyish follies of your very devoted friend, Danby." " Indeed, I am truly glad to see you again," said Mrs. Cheetham. " I know you are — say no more — say no more. Here, Irene," continued lie, as he transferred the hand he had persisted in retaining to his sister — VOL. I. c 18 MAIDENHOOD. " this is the Mistress Cheetham, the benevolent, of whom you have so frequently heard me speak. Take her to your heart — she is worthy thereof ;" and then, turning to Mrs. Cheetham, and chang- ing his mockingly-playful manner to one of mock solemnity, he said : " This, madam, is my very beautiful sister, the Lady Irene Stuart, commonly called Ken." Mrs. Cheetham turned to the Lady Irene, and said all that was necessary on so auspicious an occa- sion. When the two ladies had seated themselves, Lord Danby turned to Brenda Cheetham, who had been standing looking on, with an expression of astonishment in her countenance, and said : " I am Hen's brother, Danby — pray who are you r " Your long and eccentric speeches, and unusual mode of proceeding, have so terrified me, I shall have a difficulty in remembering my own name, thus suddenly called upon," said Brenda, mockingly. " Then we will graciously allow your ladyship time to recover your self-possession," said Lord Danby, with a low bow, " and give our attention, for the time being, to our very charming cousin, Grel," continued he, as he approached Lady Grel, and offered his hand. " What a love Grel has grown !" said the Lady Irene to Mrs. Cheetham. " A love, Ren — a perfect love ! And now it is ail up with me !" said Lord Danby — " curious, MAIDENHOOD. 19 Ren, is it not ?" continued he, as he retained the Lady Grel's hand, and turned to his sister. " I would come and see her. Bear witness, lien, was I not eager to come ?" " Indeed you were," said Lady Irene, laughing. But she did not explain that Lord Danby's eager- ness arose from the desire to have " some stupid girl to tease, or some pretty one to please." " Yes, I insisted upon breaking through all rules of etiquette, and following the dictates of our hearts ; and it turns out I came to take note of the wondrous improvement these last few years have wrought," and Lord Danby seated himself by Grel's side, still retaining her hand. " I am glad you came so kindly," said Grel, with a smile and a bright blush. " To be sure you arc. Always speak the truth, Grel, in spite of the example of fashion. Perhaps you do. And you surely perceive that I am the very quintessence of plain-speaking V And then he stooped, and saitl, in soft, low tones — " I love you, Grel." Grel started and blushed, and turned away without speaking. " I love you, and I shall take you for my own," said he again, in low tones, which were only heard by Grel. Lord Danbv was amusing himself with his cousin's simplicity. " You must have my consent first," said Grel, with some spirit, blushing still more ; and yet, in c 2 20 MAIDENHOOD. spite of herself, feeling flattered by her cousin's attentions. " That is very easily gained, for no lady would dream of refusing me — would she, my Lady Thorhilda 1" Lord Danby had turned to Brenda Cheetham. " I say my cousin Grel may go farther and fare worse. Now, what say you to that, my Lady Thorhilda V said he, again addressing Brenda Cheetham. " I quite agree with you, my lord," said Brenda, mimicking so exactly Lord Danby's manner, as to cause the lookers-on to smile. " You quite agree with me !" said Lord Danby in a tone of surprise, and fixing his eye on Brenda; " and I quite agree with myself, that I can bring back to your terrified-away memory the knowledge of your own name ! I thought / had some recol- lection of you, though you were unable to remem- ber yourself," said he, laughing. " You are Brenda Cheetham. Oh ! Brenda, Brenda, short- memoried Brenda, recall the past ! — recall those days, nay, that day — that very day ! Why, Brenda, you pulled the rosy-cheeked apple from between my very teeth, and said I had stolen it from the favourite tree in your favourite garden. And so I had. But, Miss Brenda, it is my turn now. I am come to make good my residence at Prellsthorpe Park. I shall henceforth be one of your nearest neighbours — will not I visit that bitter- sweet past upon you !" continued he, holding up MAIDENHOOD. 21 his finger ; while Brenda Cheetham, by lier blushes, seemed to acknowledge the truth of the accusation, and, by her smiles, to take pleasure in Lord Danby's notice. She was sitting by the open window, and at this moment turned to reply to some one who had spoken to her from the lawn. Then she said to Mrs. Cheetham, "Mamma, Mr. Hamilton wishes to speak to you." " Perhaps you will excuse me I" said Mrs. Cheetham, as she left the room. " Is that the Mr. Hamilton of Prellsthorpe Abbey?" said Lady Irene. " Yes ; your nearest neighbour at the Park," said Brenda. " Why, Grel, you blush as if Mr. Hamilton were somebody of consequence in your eyes," said Lord Danby in a whisper. " Tell me, is he a favourite ?" " I do not know him," said Grel ; but she knew that the mention of his name had disturbed her, because it recalled the conversation she and Brenda had had before the arrival of her cousins. Grel had been so accustomed to hear Mr. Hamilton spoken highly of by both Mr. and Mrs. Cheetham, that she was quite prepared to think well of him herself when she did meet with him, and admire him as much as she durst admire a handsome man who had never once spoken to her. Lord Danby sat for a second or two scrutinizing his cousin with keen eyes, and then he said, 22 MAIDENHOOD. " What sort of creature is he V "One to excite your pity; for some foolish people make a great lion of him, because he has some ten or twenty thousand a year," said Brencla. "Is it possible!" said Lord Danby. "Now, which do you wish me to pity, for I am not clear on the subject — the foolish people, or the great lion ?" "Mrs. Cheetham thinks most highly of him, and he is certainly a good man !" said the Lady Grel. " Good according to the times, Grel," said Brenda; "and these are wonderful times. No one can be called good now-a-days who does not build schools, cram the poor children with know- ledge they cannot understand, and the fathers and mothers on beef and beer on high-days and holi- days ; who does not give yearly doles of blankets to every cottage in the village, and loads of coal and fagots of wood to make each cottage-fire burn ; and, after all this, even barrels of meal and bags of potatoes to keep life in the bodies of these our hard-worked and hardly-treated peasantry !" "And Mr. Hamilton does all this with his twenty or thirty thousand a year?" said Lady Irene. " And what else, for a man who does so much must surely do more?" " Restore the church, of course," said Brenda laughing ; " and equally, of course, give two or three bells, by way of pulling down the old tower. MAIDENHOOD. 23 And then he builds soup kitchens, and fills them with soup ; and baths and wash-houses, all for the poor ; and — and I told mamma one day I half expected he would not finish until he had lodged them all in his grand old Abbey." " Lodged all whom ?" said Lord Danby in a voice of consternation. " Do you mean lodge the poor?" " Yes, the poor. You need not be so astonished," said Brenda; "there are not more than two hun- dred in the whole parish, and the Abbey contains I cannot tell how many beds, but surely quite enough for our village." " A very original idea ; I commend you for it, Brenda the marvellous !" said Lord Danby. " Now, if he would only lodge all the poor for a month or so in his grand old Abbev, there can be little doubt but that he would have done enough to make himself famous, and he might then quietly repose upon his laurels for the re- mainder of his charitable life !" " Brenda ! — Brenda ! you are the most satiri- cally amusing young lady it has ever been my good fortune to meet," said Lord Danby, laughing. "lie never goes to balls, or races, or any places of amusement, I suppose?" said the Lady Irene. '• Do not tell her. Brenda — do not tell her," said Lord Danby. "Ren is making up her mind to the best way of spreading her nets to catch the lion, and of course if he does not dance Ren will eschew balls; so do not tell her." "I will tell you all I know," said Brenda, turn- 24 MAIDENHOOD. ing to the Lady Irene, "and give you my powerful help. He dances well, and at the last Prellsthorpe ball " "Prellsthorpe ball !" said Lord Danby, starting up. " Do you mean sincerely that this horrible Prellsthorpe village gets up a ball V' " Indeed, yes, on especial occasions," said Brenda laughing. " The last was got up by the Kifles, and Mr. Hamilton danced with all the old maids in the room ! — yes, all the well-known wall- flowers — all the very, very old maids who had not been ashed " " Patience, patience, I can bear no more !" said Lord Danby, affecting to stop his ears. "Asked to dance," resumed Brenda, "within the memory of man ; and who were very much puzzled what answer to make in the first place, what steps to make in the second, and to know what to do with the honour thus forced upon them in the third." " He did not dance with charming Brenda, the satirical V said Lord Danby. " He anticipated my refusal, and did not ask me," said Brenda, quietly. " No, no, I confess it, he did not ask me to dance ; and he is often un- civil to me. But the Rifles .had got up a bazaar, to be followed by a ball, to meet expenses of some kind, and that was the real reason for a ball in Prellsthorpe. Yes, he is uncivil to me !" "Uncivil to you! — what can he mean f said Lord Danby. MAIDENHOOD. 25 " He tells my mother I do not help her enough in visiting the poor ; and he avers he often sees me enjoying a ride on my pony." " Wicked little Brenda, the marvellous ; why do not you ride over him 1" said Lord Danby. "He thinks me 'as full of faults as an egg is full of meat.' I differ from him on that point," said Brenda. "I think he has no business with my faults or my perfections ; and I just toss my — as you, of course, would say — ' very pretty head,' and do as I please." " Excuse me, indeed you are wrong," said Lord Danby ; " I should not call your head ' very pretty,' or even pretty." " The greater the proof that it is so," said Brenda, demurely. " Ah ! vou forget my talent for truth," said Lord Danby. " It seems to me, Mr. Hamilton is certainly good and charitably disposed," said Lady Irene. "He will do. Will he, Ken?" said Lord Danby. " Bashf ulness is not one of Ren's faults. Now, it would not surprise me if Ken attracted this great lion from " "From lesser stars," said Brenda. "Ah ! when you have seen as much of him as I, you will be glad to resign him." "Irene thinks fifty thousand a year worth hav- ing," said Lord Danby, laughing. "Ten thousand, D.," said Grel, correctively. " Most modest cousin. Ken would spoil the 26 MAIDENHOOD. shape of her nose at the thought of so paltry a sum," said Lord Danby. The lady Grel looked puzzled, but did not reply. " Fifty thousand would be worth the considera- tion of most ladies," said Lady Irene. " Well, then, lien, what say you % Miss Brenda is willing to resign the lion — Grel must have no- thing to do with him — that is on my account," added he, sotto voce, to Grel ; " and }^ou require amusement. Suppose, now, by way of attracting the notice of the lion, you commit yourself to a few absurdities, such as 'clothing' and 'firing' a few old women." " Yes," said Lady Irene, now laughing heartily, " a few old women, D. ; and so curry favour with this great lion, Miss Cheetham." " You and Grel are not very likely to try to curry favour with anyone," said Brenda, mock- ingly ; " and yet, as I gaze upon you, the fact seems to strike me that you will both interest this very fastidious Mr. Hamilton." "Oh! Grel, Grel, do not smile and plume yourself on your attractions — you are mine," said Lord Danby. " Mr. Hamilton has not condescended yet to notice Grel ; he visits his old Abbey once or, twice a year for about ten days or a fortnight ; and, hitherto, something has happened to keep Grel out of the way," said Brenda. " Quite right. The fates knew she was meant MAIDENHOOD. 27 for me," said Lord Danby. " You see, Brenda, Grel is not sufficiently wicked to attract his notice. She rides Iter pony too well to call down his cen- sure. Is it not so, Grel, the very beautiful I" " I have not seen Mr. Hamilton three times, D., nor spoken to him once," said Grel, blushing brightly. " But, then, Brenda, knowing there was in this neighbourhood such a person as Mr. Hamilton," said Lord Danby, "who sees to everything, takes care of everybody, asks the old maids, poor things, soups, coals, meats, breads, potatoes, blankets, baths, and washes the poor ; and that he does all this work in ten days or a fortnight, and then hies him- self away to commit greater marvels in other places, — I say, knowing as you dp of this gentle- man's residence at Prellsthorpe for the time being, why do not you lay up your pony in clover, pull a very long face out of that very round, rosy-cheeked one, and allow the lion to catch you in a dirty cottage now and then f " "Because I choose to make my visits to the poor when Mr. Hamilton is out of sight and out of hearing; and I also choose to ride my pony every day while he is at the Abbey, to give him the pleasure of seeing how entirely I abide by his opinion." " Von are the most amiable and original young lady I have had the pleasure of meeting for many a long year," said Lord Danby^ rising, as he saw Lady Irene taking leave of Grel ; "and that affair 28 MAIDENHOOD. of the rosy-cheeked apple, that you pulled from between my very teeth, was the precursor of — of — your present smile. Good morning, Brenda, the wilful. Grel, dear Grel," continued he, in low- tones, as he held her hand, " we shall meet again." And the brother and sister returned to the Park. CHAPTER III. " READ, TRY, JUDGE, AND SPEAK AS YOU FIND." From the Diary of the Lady Grel Stuart. " QURELY I never experienced so intense a O stillness ! Not a sound, not a breath of air, no moon — but myriads of glittering stars. The sky clear, and blue, and bright, the stars number- less, gleaming and scintillating. I enjoy this silence, and apparent loneliness at this late hour. One seems to have more companionship with heaven, when one has so little of the noise of earth, of its worries and confusions ! "But now, I must record it is just one week since that memorable day in which Irene and D. came so kindly to see us. And in that one week I have known more of earth's bustles, perplexities, and chafings than in all my previous life befox'etime ! I almost feel it necessary to ask myself — since I wished so heartily for change — to ask myself what MAIDENHOOD. 29 sort of change I had set my heart upon ? Not noise and clatter, that is certain ; because D.'s attacks make me sad. Not eternally running be- tween the Park and the Rectory, only to have a lioht-tongued, somewhat foolish talk as the result. Certainly not the fact that is every day making itself more strongly felt ; not the feeling of dislike, positive dislike of D., and something very like in- difference towards Irene. A conviction that almost makes me wish my cousins were not at the Park ! " I suppose it was foolish to be discontented with my quiet life, and to long for change. Now that I have had this one week of fusses, I turn to my books and music with rapture, and I greatly solace myself with them, as a relief to my disappointed expectations. " But books and music do not fill every corner of my heart ; I have some longings that must still be deferred ; since I do not satisfy them in the com panionship of my two cousins. " It is true I shall see more society ; perhaps in time meet with others, more congenial to me and my tastes than they are. We dine at the Park soon ; there I shall meet Mr. Hamilton, and this I desire very much, although to myself, I may con- fess, I stand in some little awe of him. I intend, when I meet him, to be very silent myself, and to listen to him, and watch him ; that I may form my own opinion from my own observations, and so not allow myself to be biassed by Brenda Chce- tham's ill-nature. 30 MAIDENHOOD. " I am sorry to say it, even to myself, but I am daily conscious of more and more dislike towards Brenda. She is clever, but in some things vindictive. Often meanly jealous of trifles; trifles that cannot be altered, and for which no one is accountable, or to blame. She wishes to be tall and slight, like me ; she is short and rather stout. I wish I could make her tall and slight ; I would to make her happy. But as I cannot, then I wish she would not be unamiable and spiteful to me, and dislike me be- cause I am taller and slighter than herself. " How she does admire D. ! I wish he would talk to her, instead of to me. Nothing seems to go right. Soon I shall be longing for my old quiet life to return upon me ; for the Park to be again shut up, and myself left in peace to pursue such occupations as please me. Ah, me !" — End of extract from Diary. • "You find your cousins very much to your lik- ing, Grel," said Mrs. Cheetham one morning, when the two ladies were alone. " Somewhat different from my preconceived ideas," said Grel. And then, fearing she had confessed, or was on the verge of admitting too much, she added, " Irene is very handsome ; but then this she was sure to be, or " " Or she would not be a Stuart," said Mrs. Cheetham laughing, as the Lady Grel hesitated to complete the sentence. " You and she are very MAIDENHOOD. 31 much alike. Oh ! pray excuse me, you will think I am following the lead of your flattering cousin Danby ! I rather meant to say you might easily be taken for sisters. The black hair, the fair- complexion, the darkly fringed eyelids, even the outline of the features and the movement of the figure, are strikingly alike." " Is D. redeeming himself in my uncle's good graces 1" said Grel abruptly. " There was some- thing sadly wrong a year or two since, was there not?" " I know no particulars. Lord Prellsthorpe has had a good deal of anxiety ; and we have been told your cousin has occasionally met with strange treatment; but we quiet people know very little of the affairs of the fashionable world." " Do you not remember, a few years ago there were reports to D.'s disadvantage ? These things recur to me now, like old sorrows." " I do not believe all I hear, my dear. People unconsciously exaggerate the reports they carry about, like the fable of the three black crows. The worst I ever heard, and even that admitted of doubt, was that Lord Danby was cut on the race- course, by some very old friends of your uncle's family. Mr. Cheatham and I agreed at the time, that probably there was but little truth in the re- port ; and as your cousin has continued to hold up his head, 1 feel sure we were right. Have you heard Lady Irene is already supposed to be a great attraction to Mr. Hamilton ?" 32 MAIDENHOOD. " Yes ; Brenda told me. I think Irene will hardly condescend to marry a commoner. When ladies of her rank accept a lower, it is generally for— for " " Too often, my dear, for the sake of the wealth they do not themselves possess ; but this, you think, could not be the case with Lady Irene. She has a private fortune of her own, sufficient to prevent the necessity of such a step. She was heiress to your aunt, the late Lady Clementina Stuart." " Yes, Irene was Aunt Clem's heiress. And you think Mr. Hamilton has already — what shall I say? — fallen in love with her?" " Ah, my clear, strange things are said, and odd remarks made even in this quiet part of the world. I am told — but, Grel, dear, I do not like to repeat such things — and yet I have been told the admira- tion is from her -to him ! And another thing, my dear, it is whispered that the Lady Irene is not so rich as she ought to be, after coming into pos- session of the great wealth of her aunt. She has lived much abroad, in Paris and Vienna, and, like Lord Danby, not been very prudent — of course, I only mean in money matters. It is said the Lady Irene has been accustomed t 68 MAIDENHOOD. ended there, perhaps all might have been well ; but Almeric, not content with avoiding for him- self the dissipation into which Lord Danby so recklessly plunged, made repeated attempts to turn his friend from such disagreeable pursuits. As may easily be understood, this excited Lord Danby's anger, and he at length replied with a bitterness of speech for which he had always been more or less remarkable, " That he should not disgrace his noble name and high lineage by following in the wake of such a 'slow-coach' as Almeric B. Barry more, who spent his time in reading musty old chronicles of the Middle Ages, descriptive of wonderful people, who went about the world fighting for some one thing, that all their opponents declared to be 'a lie !' ' A great war of words arose upon this, and Lord Danby argued on his part with much sophistry, and turning all mediaeval worthies into ridicule. Almeric, more sincere, and better read in these subjects, contended that the days of chivalry were also days of truth and honour. " Your head is full of mediaeval folly," said Lord Danby. " You yourself are at this moment doing battle for ' a lie,' when you talk of the Middle Ages as the days of truth and honour." But Almeric was not to be talked out of his conviction. He contended that he did not do battle for " a lie " — that a lie was the meanest subterfuge that was known or practised — a lie was the very death-blow of all chivalric feeling. MAIDENHOOD. 69 Lord Danby called Almeric " the preacher," and Almeric thought Lord Danby a reprobate. From time to time, as they met here and there, one be- came still more sneering and taunting, the other more prosy and preaching, until at length — as it seemed by tacit agreement — they seldom met. But it is still necessary to record, that on several occasions Lord Danby had tried the effects of superstition on Almeric's nerves, and on one par- ticular occasion he had taunted Almeric by saying, " You are afraid of the ghosts in the old house at home, for you know well enough that the ghostly remains of your worthy ancestors tenant the coats of armour that stand in the hall, or on the stairs, or in the long galleries ; and you dare not, for the life of you, confess the truth as to those mediaeval days, and swear the men were liars and the women faithless, in the fear of the watchers and warders dogging your footsteps and doing you some ill." " The old barons will never harm me !" said Almeric with some pride. " You cannot deny that you have a strong wish to propitiate them ? I have even thought it pos- sible that Sir Hildebrand follows the goodly ex- ample of ' Sir Brian of the fiery eyes,' and has the old barons, as you call them, to dine with him occasionally."* " I do not seek to propitiate my ancestors," said Almeric again proudly, and without replying to * See Note 1. 70 MAIDENHOOD. the latter part of Lord Danby's speech. "If I did ill, or acted in opposition to the dictates of a good conscience, I might naturally have a certain fear of the ghosts of the worthy barons. For the ghosts of men so loyal and true would abominate a descendant who would disgrace their name ; and therefore, if such beings are permitted to plague living men, I might in that case expect to come in for a goodly share of torment." This was, of course, mere boy's talk. And yet of the two, Almeric was sincere in all he said, Lord Danby — to use his own words — "only chaffing the Mediaeval." Almeric felt that, as far as he knew good from evil, he would never lower himself by doing ill ; and though he had no actual belief in the appear- ance on earth of such myths as ghosts, he had no objection to invite them to come and warn him of the consequences if he should do wrong — but then he felt himself so strong in his good in- tentions ! But now it is time that Almeric should himself explain — what the astute Lord Danby has already discovered — viz. : That he has a troubled conscience ; or that his mind is full of care. MAIDENHOOD. 71 CHAPTER IX. " NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM BEFORE SUNSET." ON one occasion Almeric had entered the library at Heraldstowe, through the con- servatorv. He had found the book he wanted, and on turning to leave the room, inadvertently O 7 ml came in contact with the open door of a cabinet. A small bunch of keys was dangling in the lock. As this was a very unusual circumstance, Almeric stoo4 hesitating as to what would be the best thing to do. To lock the doors and take away the keys might cause annoyance to Sir Ilildebrand, when he made his appearance; but to leave the keys in the lock might, besides vexing him, be the cause of a serious rebuke to his sister, who had the charge of the cabinets. While these thoughts were passing through his mind he had listlessly opened and closed the tiny drawers one by one, and allowed his eye to run over a number of valuable coins as they lay in their small recesses; and, he was about to close the doors of the cabinet, lock them, and take the keys to his sister, when he caught sight of a coin that riveted his attention. He took it up, looked earnestly at it for a second or two, and then said — at first in- quiringly — " Is it the six-angel piece ?"* and af forwards en- *See Note 2. 12 MAIDENHOOD. thusiastically — " It is — it is the very coin !" He moved nearer to the open door of the conserva- tory the better to catch the light — for the library was rather a dull than a cheerful apartment — and after again examining it, he said, " It is, in posi- tive truth, the ' six-angel piece of Edward VI.' and my dear grandfather " But he heard footsteps approaching, and with a a little start, yet still retaining the coin, he walked through the conservatory and re-entered the lawn. And once there without turning to ascertain by whom he had been interrupted, in the full blaze of the sun's liffht he stood and re-examined the coin, convincing himself that he really held in his hand that unique coin, "The six-angel piece of Edward VI." The interruption had been caused by a servant who came to look for Miss Barry more, and seeing only Mr. Almeric retreating through the conserva- tory, he had immediately retired. But Almeric, after, perhaps, a minute or two of study over the coin, recollected himself. He perceived that he was walking away from the house, and he had in- tended to go to his own room ; but he had done this unconsciously, and while still scrutinising the coin ; and besides, he had no intention of leaving the precious contents of the cabinet exposed — as he himself had found them — to any chance visitor to the library. Not that he absolutely expected either to find thieves in his grandfather's house- hold, or that marauders who understood coins and MAIDENHOOD. 73 their value should accidentally enter the library while the cabinet doors stood open ! He knew they ought not to be standing open, and this thought pressed upon him as he stopped in his somewhat hasty retreat, and said, " But I have this coin in my hand, and it be- longs to that cabinet. Now it was only the other day, my dear old grandfather assured me, that he never had had this coin in his collection : though I even remembered the purchase of it ! Poor dear old man, his memory is very treacherous ! I have long known he is not aware of one-half of the treasures he has in his possession. And then again, sometimes he takes it into his dear old head to give away a number of duplicates — duplicates ! Yes — when they are really so, all very well , but T have known him give others — not duplicates — be- cause in some lights he can scarcely distinguish one coin from another — and — he does not like to have his mistakes pointed out to him. Now — I should wish to keep this piece in our cabinet, be- cause it is unique." Almeric stopped in his walk, stood hesitating for a second or two, and then turned to retrace his Steps towards the house. As he walked on he muttered to himself, " It is of no use to restore this to the cabinet. The dear old man may give it away any day, be- cause In- docs not know that he has it. And then again he cannot miss what he is quite sure he does not posssess ! " 74 MAIDENHOOD. And Almeric laughed, tossed up the coin, and caught it several times in succession ; and then he seemed suddenly to recollect — for he again stood still as if thinking — that if he determined to keep the coin, he ought to do something about the cabi- net ; he ought, at least, to seek out his sister and tell her the cabinet was unlocked. He would do so. He quickened his pace, and walked on towards the windows of the drawing-room which opened upon the lawn. " I wonder now if, strictly speaking, this would be called a theft ?" thought he. " I certainly do not wish to thieve," and he smiled, and once more tossed the coin into the air and caught it — "and I certainly do not hide my treasure, nor — nor run away, as a thief most certainly would," and Almeric laughed aloud. " But now I will just suppose, the grandson and heir of Sir Hildebrand Barry- Barrymore caught in the act of robbing the old man's cabinets of a gold coin ! Why, it would set the world in a blaze! Talk of a capital hit for a melodrama ! — it would make the fortunes of newspaper proprietors, and of the editors of periodi- cals ! I'll keep the coin against all comers," said he aloud, and purposely using the language of chivalry — " I'll keep it," added he, " just to see what will come of it." And still he continued to toss up the coin, each time higher and higher, and to catch it, laughing, and as if enjoying the idea — "Of keeping it against all comers, just to see what would come of it ! " MAIDENHOOD. 7«T Almoric had walked on while these thoughts arose in his mind ; but when he arrived at the open drawing-room windows he ceased to toss up the coin, put his hand to his waistcoat pocket with an intention of placing it there ; but, instead of this, he held it tightly between his finger and thumb, and did not withdraw his hand from his pocket, while, on attempting to enter the room, he stood as if spell-bound, one foot in the room the other on the lawn, and his finger and thumb in his waistcoat- pocket. "Almeric, what is the matter V said Miss Barrymore, who stood at the piano apparently turning over the leaves of a music-book, but who, on seeing her brother, advanced to meet him. Ahneric's tongue was as silent as his figure was motionless. He said not a word, but continued to stand in an awkward position, one foot on the carpet, the other on the lawn — one hand in his waistcoat-pocket, a small book in the other, and staring at his sister in an earnest and serious man- ner. " Almeric — dear Almeric !" said Miss Barry- more, as she still drew nearer to him, " what is the matter? Are you ill 1 ?" " What do you mean ?" said he in an uncour- tcous tone. " I am not ill," and he entered the drawing-room. But, in explanation of Almeric's unusual be- haviour, it must be told that Miss Barrymore's position in the drawing-room commanded — through 76 MAIDENHOOD. the half-open door into the library — a view of that very cabinet from which he had just taken the coin. His conscience suddenly whispered to him, " Perhaps my sister saw me take it?" and hence the paralyzation of speech and motion. " Something must be the matter," said she as she returned to the piano, " for you are out of temper, and this is unlike yourself." Almeric became suddenly red in the face, when he admitted to himself " that he had behaved in an exceptional manner," and that that alone would account for the alteration in his appearance. He knitted his brows, and unwittingly nipped the coin the closer — for he had not taken his hand from his waistcoat pocket ; but ere he could reply in the bitter words that again arose uppermost, a sound of a door shutting violently arrested their atten- tion, and Miss Barrymore went into the library. Almeric followed. She went direct from the drawing-room door to the door of the conservatory — which two doors were opposite to each other — while Almeric, unperceived by her, closed the small drawer in the cabinet from which he had taken the coin. Meanwhile Miss Barrymore had opened the door leading into the conservatory, to ascertain the cause of its having been closed with such violence. " I beg your pardon," said a voice from the con- servatory. " Is it you, Johnson I" said Miss Barrymore ; " no harm done, I hope ?" MAIDENHOOD. 77 " Oh ! no, ma'am ; no harm." Miss Barrymore re-closed the door of the con- servatory, and, turning round, saw — the doors of the cabinet standing wide open ! Almeric had felt indignant with himself for the uncomfortable feeling he had had, under the sup- position that Miss Barrymore had seen him take the coin. " I do not mean to steal," were the very words he said to himself when he closed the drawer while Miss Barry more's attention was at- tracted elsewhere. " I do not mean to keep the coin," thought he, " if my grandfather wishes for it. And I only do not replace it in the cabinet, . because I fear it may be given away in a moment of generosity, from a want of the knowledge of its real value." We are not defending Mr. Almeric B. Barry- more's position — only chronicling facts ! CHAPTER X. " THAT MISCHIEF COMES JUSTLY THAT IS OF YOUR 'OWN SEEKING." " f\R ■" said Miss Barrymore, clasping her \J hands together as she turned, and saw the cabinet doors open — " I had forgotten !" " The fact is, Zara, I went to the drawing-room on purpose to tell you I had seen the cabinet open," said Almeric. " I came here to fetch this 78 MAIDENHOOD. book," showing her the one in his hand, " but, somehow, when I saw you at the piano I thought perhaps you knew all about it." Almeric meant — " perhaps you knew I had taken the com — perhaps you saw me take it." But Miss Barrymore, who thought Almeric meant that she knew the cabinet doors -were open, said, in a tone of annoyance : " Indeed, I did not know all about it ; you might have felt sure, Almeric, that there was a mistake somewhere." " I am sure of it," said he, with a smile, as he now, for the first time, dropped the coin into his waistcoat pocket, which, up to this time, he had retained between his finger and thumb, and he rapidly thought as he did so : " There were three mistakes : dear old grand- father made the first : he said he had not the ' six- angel piece.' I made the second ; I thought Zara had seen me take it. She made the third ; she left the cabinet doors open." At this moment steps were heard in the draw- ing-room. Almeric re-entered it, and saw his grandfather, Sir Hildebrand Barry-Barrymore, leaning on the arm of his man Jasper. " My dear grandfather, good morning," said Almeric, hastening to his assistance. " Sir Hildebrand is not so well this morning," said Jasper. " I am only fatigued with the effort of dressing — rest will re\*ive me," said the old gentleman, as, MAIDENHOOD. 79 supported by Almeric on one side, and his attend- ant on the other, he entered the library. Almeric saw at a glance that the cabinet doors were closed and locked. Curiously enough, he then wondered if his sister had opened the drawers, and taken note of the missing coin ! — forgetting that the cabinet was not suspected of enshrining so great a treasure. When Sir Hilde- brand was at length seated, Miss Barrymore went up to him, and putting her arm affectionately on his shoulder, kissed his forehead, as she said : " I need not open the cabinet yet — my dear papa must rest a little. Am I right ?" " Yes, darling; I will sit quiet for half an hour, and then if I do not ring come to me." After ascertaining that the light was tempered to Sir Ilildebrand's liking, he was left to the repose he seemed so much to need, and Almeric and his sister entered the dra\vin