goodness, she is not here. Indeed, I administered to him, with the attendant amazement and discomfiture. "A sailor's life is far from all fighting, especially in these days. Our squadrons lie along many a shore to check more powerful rascals than slave-dealers. We crush, in their infancy, aggressions and outrages to which the barbarities of the slave-trade are a trifle." "A sort of water-police," said Marianne contemptuously. "And sailors are still finding new lands and helping to civilize wild states," suggested Iris a little injudiciously. His very rival commiserated him. "I thought blue jackets carried all before "Not in my opinion," alleged Marithem when they went a-wooing," said Sir anne, with her neat little nose in the air. William, without any suspicion of cyni-"My conviction is, that frigates and guncism. boats float about in disgraceful idleness, "They are no better than red jackets, in order to keep up the taxes, which papa or any other jackets," answered Marianne, is always groaning over. Besides, we rather testily than with an implied compli- | must maintain a navy which is no longer wanted, in order to provide genteel sinecures for the younger sons of gentlemen ment. Very likely she had forgotten Sir William's former connection with the army, and in good truth he had no reason to recall it with pride; but the most sensible men are silly on some points, so he blushed a shade with gratification, though he maintained magnanimously, "You don't mean to say any woman could have resisted the French chap commemorated | out yonder, or the boy whose statue we saw in marble, the great statesman's son, who spoke of his mother and his native town, and how happy they would be to welcome him home, when he lay a-dying through volunteering to carry succor to the forts in the rebellion? That was before my time; but I've some notion what it meant. Supposing either of them had lived to come back and lay his laurels at a woman's feet, do you suppose she would have spurned them?" "The laurels have to be gathered first," said Marianne dryly; "and when I come to think of it, I am sick of what people call the pomp and circumstance of glorious war. What did all these battles and all these bloodthirsty commodores and rearadmirals come to? I mean what lasting good did they do, unless to their blustering, strutting selves? Who were really the better for them? I believe it would be easier to say who were a great deal the worse. What hearts they broke! How many widows and orphans they made! I think I shall go in for the Quakers and the bloodless victories of peace." "But some men must fight that peace may be preserved, and the helpless defended from injury," remonstrated King Lud, recovering from the vicious snub fellows who cannot get along on shore. For my part I would rather herd sheep in Australia or hunt ostriches in Africa, or turn a vulgar, respectable shop-keeper at home." The attack was so outrageous that it became laughable. The eclipse of the sun might nevertheless have come to one person through a girl's spirit of contradic. tion and craven susceptibility to ridicule. But to the others the sun declined in its ordinary fashion as they skirted the shoulder of Blackheath with its girdle of villas. It was a mere sunset, but it was such a sunset as the neighborhood of London renders unrivalled in its kind. Iris was compelled to acknowledge that the misty flats of Eastwich, or of Holland itself for that matter, could do nothing to those marvellous shades of saffron and gold, faint coral, dusky sorrel, the dim lilac of the autumn crocus, and a grey steely blue. Was there something human in the pathetic glory of the skies above the great city of vast wealth and grinding poverty, foulest sin and fairest righteousness, many crimes and many sorrows, much nobleness, much holiness, and much innocent, grateful gladness? Did the groans and curses, tears and sighs, smiles and laughter, go up from tens of thousands of hearths to paint themselves in that solemn, subdued glow? The Academy was not yet shut; and out of many visits one stood out in the remembrance of the little company that so often met together in these weeks. They had all been tolerably united in their criticism. They had agreed that English landscape painting held its own as in the days of Gainsborough and Constable and old Crome; that the mantle of Sir David Wilkie still fell, here and there, on the painters of the ruggedness and the humor, the exquisite tenderness of peasant life with its homely affections. These were no more sordid and petty now, to the hands that could draw and the eyes that could read them, than they were nearly a century ago to the brave, gentle son of the Fife manse. Heroism quailed a little before the cynicism of the generation, but picturesqueness and passion made a vigorous stand against the learned affectation of burning incense to color and form, and rejecting all humanity as devoid of dignity and interest unless it came in the shape of pagan myths, sensuous and sensual, petrified in their passion, cold in their exaggerated repose, because the faith and heart of man have alike forsaken them. mises were disdainfully rejected, proposals to bring the day's visit - the final visit to the Academy, to a summary close scouted at, humble suggestions of an adjournment to the refreshment-room for a glass of claret and a slice of chicken, or a cup of tea and a stale bun treated as a positive insult. When it came to this pass, Marianne's adherents drew discreetly apart, freed her from their observation, and sought to occupy themselves with what remained of their morning's work. Only King Lud was too miserable to accomplish the assumption, or practise the restraint of indifference. He feared his mistress might be ill, for it was quite possible that Marianne would only display her bodily distress in this perplexing, mental fashion. He knew at least that she was unhappy for the moment, and he could not endure the thought of abandoning her to her unhappiness. He followed her at a respectful distance, patiently waiting for any sign of relenting and recovery, when he would gladly take upon himself the blame of having been stupid, tiresome, and positively cruel in inciting an unfortunate girl to do too much and exert herself till she was half dead. Iris and Sir William were together at the farther end of the room. He was pausing and brightening at some Indian scenes, showing his companion where the cane brake or the mangrove swamp was trustworthy or at fault, explaining the na tive costumes and indicating the castes. He stopped at the occasional portraits of Most people will allow that it becomes in time weary work for eyes and brains to study even the flower of the year's pic-military officers as pointedly as if he were tures. But it is not so universal an axiom to the many, to learn that it is possible for bodily fatigue to end in crossness of temper even with the young and strong, the ardent and intelligent. going to salute them, and became excited and exultant over the likeness of one who had been a chief in Sir William's campaign. It was clear that he bore no malice against the service, that the disgrace Will it be believed that Marianne Dug- with which it had threatened him had dale, after having entered with much en- faded away from his mind, from the time thusiasm on this as on other rounds, by that he had confessed and acknowledged the time she felt a falling to pieces of the the justice of the sentence. It was the backbone, a heaviness and ache of the scar on his neck and breast, and the brows, a slight swimming of the eyes, and sword cut across his arm, which for a mogiddiness of the brain, was about as much ment burnt again with the proud conout of humor as could be said of an impa-sciousness that he too had been a soldier, tient-tempered girl who, if she were not and had fought and bled for England and arrested in time, would develop, without his colors. fail, into a hard as well as a true, a fiery no less than a warm-hearted vixen? As it was, however, Marianne commenced to snap up her companions' harmless remarks and execute half-comical, childish growls at which no one ventured to laugh, to flout the others, to flounce about by herself. Soothing was tried in vain, compro Unexpectedly the couple came upon a picture hung low which they had not ob served on their previous visits. It was not a striking picture in size and situation, or in more than a moderate degree of artistic merit. It was the subject which arrested the two gazers, paled their cheeks, dimmed their eyes, brought a quiver to their compressed lips. The painter unknown to fame had represented | self that in this direction after all, might lie at once the atonement for his past errors, and the building up of a new and higher character? a drowned woman, washed gently enough on a pebbly shore by the rippling waves of a sea no longer raging in the fury of a storm. The limbs, those of a fine, strong When Iris and Sir William rejoined young woman, were disposed decently and Marianne Dugdale, she had so far come peacefully, as if a friend's hand had laid to herself as to suffer the companionship them to rest; the face turned up to the of the faithful lieutenant, and was по summer sky was unmarred in its still longer treating him worse than dog or serenity. The head lay cushioned as it mouse before she could consent to dote were on the wealth of brown hair which on him forever. But the union was not had broken loose and streamed like so indissoluble. Sir William Thwaite apmuch seaweed back from the bare brow proached her with a forcible appeal and a and blanched cheeks. So had Honor lain pathetic reverence expressed in an eager on the Welsh beach. The thoughts of concern for her welfare. "Are you tired both spectators flew back to the disaster. out, Miss Dugdale? will you not allow Then the attention of the pair became me to find a seat for you? I will manage concentrated and fascinated by a likeness it, never fear, though I have to turn out a double likeness. It was not wonder- by force that stout old gentleman, and ful that with their minds full of a similar that puppy-dog of a lad on the next sofa. catastrophe and its victim, Sir William I see you have your fan, let me fan you. and Iris should see a resemblance to the I have a long, strong, steady arm; I could late Lady Thwaite in everything, save in work a flail or a punkah without much the rich, warm coloring which, to be sure, effort. After you're a bit rested and rethe cold sea and colder death had already freshed, we'll drive straight home and do stolen from her cheeks and lips before the no more to-day." husband was called upon to identify the body of his wife. But there was no reason why either of the two looking fixedly and silently at the picture, should simultaneously, as if by contact of thought, detect traits, the same as those with which they were familiar in a living face in that very room. Sir William and Iris had never before compared Honor Smith to Marianne Dugdale. Size, coloring, circumstances were all so different, that the comparison sounded absurd even now, yet there were the friends of both, marking it decidedly and unmistakably until the eyes which had been averted, looked into each other and claimed the wondering admission. "You see it also? Poor Honor and Miss Dugdale!" exclaimed Sir William, half under his breath; "I never once thought of it before." "Nor I," responded Iris, as low as if she were exchanging secrets with him. Iris knew that Sir William was moved by the recollection of his dead wife, whom he was confounding in a manner with Marianne Dugdale. But Ludovic Acton had no such clue to the problem. He was compelled to believe that his passive rival had suddenly become active and dead in earnest; while he was at the same time from the support of Lady Fermor, doubtless - so well assured of the success of his suit, that he was already appropriating the tone of an accepted, privileged lover. He was proceeding to take care of Ma. rianne, to control, and even gently reproach her, in a manner which she would certainly not have stood from another person, however much his unbounded devotion might have entitled him to forbearance. But, alas, alas! Marianne was not offended or aggrieved in this instance; she smoothed down her ruffled plumes, and submitted with a good grace to be looked after and comforted. She glanced with shy, puzzled inquiry into Sir William's intent face. Her compunction for something like a child's naughtiness, her swift brightening up again were for They did not say another word. She glanced at him and seemed to find a shadow of half-superstitious awe on his manly, ruddy face. Was he revolving the curious, undefined law, that what has been shall be again, on which gamblers | Sir William and not for King Lud. She base their calculations the unexplained but acknowledged fact that, in the history of men as of nations, events often repeat themselves, against all reason, against all warning, in a mysterious, well-nigh gruesome, fashion? Was he judging rashly that it was vain for him to struggle against his fate? Did he seek to persuade him was a woman, therefore she was caught by novelty and mystery; she was a wom. an, so she was fickle as the inconstant wind. She looked ready to be wooed and won by the altered aspect of the suitor whom Lady Fermor had provided for her granddaughter, as King Lud had known all along to his sorrow and dread. CHAPTER XXXV. ON THE BORDERS. the requirements of a woman of Lady Fermor's position and age, there was not the slightest strain on any young person's LONDON was fast becoming a high-class powers. Indeed Marianne used her Ensocial desert, a hot wilderness to be aban-glishwoman's privilege of grumbling, simdoned to its tradespeople and its poor; ply because she had that most charming even they were contemplating excursions of all "Adventures of a Phaeton " running to Margate, and tramps to the hop gardens. Lady Fermor was about to carry out the second part of her programme, and to save herself from the danger of being left to the insipid society of two "bread-andbutter misses," she determined to journey by short stages as far as the neighborhood of the first Scotch moor with unlet shoot ings to which the young men in her train might be induced to accompany her. No doubt Ludovic Acton was in daily expectation of an appointment to a ship, and might have to leave at a moment's notice, but in the mean time he served as well as another. The old, despotic schemer, whose excess of worldly wisdom some-ness. times led her astray, was of opinion that the breaking of the progress by a day's the poor lieutenant with his frantic passion, at which she was able to jeer and laugh, served in some degree as a foil and stimulus to Sir William in what must prove his suit. in her head, and was possessed by a rueful persuasion that she too could have driven many a mile under sunshine and shower, and the merry moonlight; and if she had not been equal to playing on a guitar and singing appropriate songs under difficulties, she would at least have been quite fit for the gay scramble at bezique and the judicious balancing of two encroachers on her freedom at the end of the day. But even a journey in first-class railway carriages by short stages was not to be despised, when the destination of the travellers was the land of the mountain and the flood, of romance and canniThe shortness of the stages and rest occasionally, to enable Lady Fermor to dine deliberately at her usual hour, to go to bed early and rise late, in order to recruit her forces, also permitted explor ing strolls in every direction, and suborKing Lud had not given up in despair. dinate excursions in the interest of the No man worthy of the name will easily do younger members of the party. Thus the so, when the prize to be resigned is the banks of the Severn were visited, the ancentre of his fondest hopes and aspira cient streets of Chester perambulated, a tions. He had fallen out and made it up raid made into north Wales, and merry again with Marianne Dugdale many times Carlisle with its castle and cathedral since the day at the Academy. He was learnt off by heart. The travellers were still not without a lingering hope that the then not far from the Scotch borders; privilege of travelling with her might do and the final halting-place, the heathery something for his cause. At least it wells of Moffat, did not lie much beyond afforded desperately delightful opportuni- the Marches. But unluckily Lady Fermor ties for being at once the happiest and the caught cold, with a little cough, which most miserable fellow in the world, happy teased her in the next stage of her jour with a delirious satisfaction in the mere ney, so that she adopted the resolution consciousness of being in her presence, of of stopping short and staying for a couple watching her and serving her miserable of nights at an old-fashioned inn in which in knowing how soon the close proximity she recollected having been fairly served to bliss would come to an end any way, many years before. It lay at the junction and what a grievous probability existed of the sister countries, and had originally that by indulging his inclinations and stood on a great coach road a good deal feasting his passion, he would only reap frequented in its time. But since the esadditional disappointment and wretched-tablishment of railways and new routes, ness in the end: when the suspense was over, Marianne was Lady Thwaite presiding at Whitehills, and he a broken-hearted lieutenant far at sea. and the withdrawal of the coaches from the old tracks, nearly the whole of the traffic had departed from the place; still the old inn stood, and continued a house In the beginning of the trip, King Lud's of lodging and entertainment for man and star was in the ascendant. Marianne was beast on a new foundation, its later enerradiant and gracious in the enjoyment of gies having been directed to affording all the pleasurable excitement and con- board and lodging to families seeking a stant change of scene characteristic of an summer retreat, and to furnishing a reexcursion such as she had never taken sort for the anglers who frequented the before. Since it was conducted to suit" becks " and "burns" in the vicinity. Lady Fermor declared that her old plain, comfortable rooms, which were fortunately vacant, had not fallen off appreciably, and that she was satisfied she could have all she wanted, till a little rest ena bled her to get rid of her cold. It was a matter of congratulation to Iris and Marianne especially that they should make this halt in an out-of-the-way corner, and begin their acquaintance with Scotland by an entrance which might be made on foot, and was not much frequented to the destruction of all original traits and native simplicity and individuality. Ás for the male animal, usually so impatient of delay and restive under what is a purely soothing and agreeable element to the female, the two young men were in that normal condition which occurs or ought to occur to a man only once in his life. They were at the beck and call of the women; the young fellows were meek and docile, ready to assent cheerfully to any arrangement, eager to display themselves in their best colors as they would never be again. For anything more, Sir William showed himself less drawn to Marianne when she was full of glee and enthusiasm, than when the shadow of a trouble, however groundless and self-made, hung over her. He left her to a considerable extent to enchant or plague King Lud, who was thus still hovering on the confines of gaining or losing the prize of his life, while Sir William nursed Lady Fermor, made his own observations, or walked about soberly with Miss Compton. There was something of quaint dignity in the rural aspect of the inn. It was a steep-roofed stone house of considerable pretensions. The walls were rough dashed and whitewashed, and further covered by honeysuckle in blossom, and the first "red red rose" of Scotland which the English visitors had seen. They were told the house was an old Border mansionhouse, much more recent in date than the crumbling grey towers and towns they had recently seen in Cumberland, but still old enough to have been beheld by Prince Charlie, had he looked that way in his memorable marches to and from Carlisle. The house stood in a rough paddock shaded by a few gnarled old trees, and the whole lay in the shelter of the four sentinels Skiddaw and Scafell rising to the south, with Criffell and the Lead Hills starting up to the north. The party had private rooms, and so did not come in contact with possible dukes and probable bagmen, chatty or frigid, kindly or selfish, old and young la dies. But Iris and Marianne made their own of a modest yet frank young chambermaid, the daughter of a neighboring Scotch ploughman. She had lived all her life in the vicinity, and could tell her eager questioners the local names and identify to their satisfaction the merest purple crown of every peak and the misty flash of all the "wan waters" far and near. She was more intelligent than the gener ality of her compeers in England - the three hundred years or so of parish schools in Scotland having had their effect on the brains of the population. She took evident pride in her birthplace and country, and proceeded, on a little solicitation, to pour forth all the old stories which had gathered round a famous locality. "It was a weel kenned part aince, mem. A hantle bonnie English leddies and wilfu' English lads sought it out; whiles there were Scotch leddies and gentlemen came in secret as far as the bounds o' Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire, and rode cockin' awa' in braid day. But there was nae needcessity for the like o' them taking sic a tramp, they just did it to be neebour-like. What for did they come, young leddies, are you askin'? Losh! div you no ken this was ane o' the toons * my faither ay maintains it was the chief where rin-awa' marriages were ca'd aff, the knot tied and the couple buckled so that neither faither nor mither nor lawlord, nor minister o' the kirk, nor the king hissel' could rieve man and wife asunder again." "Oh! how nice! how funny!" cried Marianne, "that we should have come by chance to such an inn. Tell us about these runaway marriages, Jeannie. Did any happen in your time? Did you ever see one?" while Iris prepared to listen with interest and amusement." "Weel, I cannot just say I have, mem," Jeannie was forced to admit, a little crestfallen at having to fail "fine, lichtsome English young leddies" in such an important particular as would have been supplied by her having been an eyewitness to the deed, and so able to give personal evidence with regard to all that happened. "Leastways I have never seen sic grand turnouts as I have heard my faither and mither, and still mair, my grandmither, wha's living to this day with a'her wits aboot her, crack about to their cronics for any better sort of house-farmhouse or mansion* The term "toon" is used freely in primitive Scotch house, as well as for a "burgh-toon." |