Nora's Peril

CHAPTER V. About a week subsequent to Count Albauo's arrival, Colpnel De Burgho after breakfast one inoratag invited me to walk with liim on the terrace ; hc then told me that the Count had on the prsvious evening expressed a wish to have au Interview with him, and that the hour appointed had alniost arrived. "I sliall not, Mr. Mervyn," said he, "be able to give my attention to our plans until the afternoon, when, if you will meet me, we will resume their eonsideration." "Well, Mervyn, I have had a long interview with the Count; he has produeed to me thetitle deeds of hls estáte, whieh appear to be verv satisfactory, as far as I can judge, but as they are written in Italian law charaeters I can forin uo decided opiuion about them, and I have told the Count that I will refer them to my lawyer In Dublin, statiug that ue mu6t not expect dispatch, as all lawyers, particularlylrishlawyers, are proverbially slow in their movemeuts. What, however, I really intend to do is to seud the papers to an old f rlend of mine who is consul at Livorno; I will request him to go to (jenoa and submit them to the most eminent notary of that city, iustructing him to subject them to the closest scrutiny. I shall write fully all the circumstances of tlie ease to my friend, for hls guidunce, and while I am doing so, perhaps you will kindly aiTauge to have a man and liorse ready to take the dispatch to the postoftlee at , wherc, I calcúlate, he may arrive iu tune to catch the mail to Dublin, and so save a day, which is of importance in this business." Iretircd to make the arrangement requested, and after an interval of au hour, on re-entering the library, found the colouel sealing a large packet, which he inferined me, contaiued the Count's tittle deeds. "Mervyn," he said. "here is the packet; I have addreseed it to a friend at the Foreign Office, who will re-address it to my friend at Livorno; he will send it out in the Foreign Offlce bag to Naples, requesting some ofllctal there to lorward it; this mode of conveyance will be more expeditious than the ordinary mails. I have also writteu to my friend at Llvorno to return tne papers t)y the same route ; thUB I have done all in my power to secure speed, and nothing remains but to send the messenger off without delay, and await my f riend's reply, which we may hope to have in about three weeks." Having di&patched the messenger we resumcd our business avocations, and for some days the colonel and 1 werc closely oecupied in niaturiug our plans and arraoging for "opening the trenches." Although so much of my time was now engrossed by my new duties, I had suflicient opportunity of studying the eharacter and personal appearance of my rival, for such I persteted in considering him. In person Count Albano was above the average height, but lus carrlage was uot good or graeeful ; bis shoulders inclined to roundness, and he walked with a slight etoop ; bis hair was dark as a raven's wing, but had a i ough and unkempt appearance; hls forehead was low, his nose and chin well cut, but not of classical mould ; his mouth and teeth wcre invisible, for he was "bearded llke a pard;" his complexion waa pale, and this circumstance led me to conclude that he was deficiënt in "pluek ;" his eyes were dark, almost bluek, but they had a dull, leaden look, without expression - iu faet, they were the eyes oí a Bnake ; and he had the disagreeable pecullarity of not looking you straight in the face. On entering a room, or approaching to ealute you at any time, he liad a bablt of making several Bhort quick steps forward with his head down, as if he w( re about to butt you with it in the breast, a mode of lighting common in 8ome of the westeru counties of England. On hls approach I always feit inclined to jump aside and evade the threatened ram-like thrust ; bnt his most repulsive peculiarity waa his augh - ihort, sneering and supercilious, a sort of mocking cachinnatiou, like the laugh of a hyena. Ilis feet wirc of moderate 6ize, but his hands were large and ill-f ormed ; his manners were tolerably good, and I presume his eouversation was that of a gentleman ; of this I could not judge, as he always conversed in Itatian ; but 1 more than once observed both the Colonel and Kathleen exehange glances when the Couut made some hasty observation, particularly when at carda, as if they had observed some breach of good breeding ; and, at the same time, a tell-tale blush would suffusc Norah's geiierally pallid countenance. One accompllshment the Count certainly poseeesed - he sang beautif ully ; even I, though prejudiced against him, could not but admit this. Since bis arrival I had ceased to contribute to the vocal amusement of the evening. I could not, as yet, venture to sing Italian : ao, during his stay, I determined ta restrict my eontributlons towards the divine art to performlng upon the violiu, on which I was without a rival, and knew that I was fairly proficient. Colonel De Burgho had been, in early lifc, an atlilete of no mean power, and possesseU an excellent armoury, vith all the usual appurtenances of a private gvnmasium. For the purpose of test ing the Couut's aecomplishments of this nature I suggested to the Colonel that we sliould devote an hour each afternoon to ehootiug with the rille and pistol, with broadsword, and othcr exercises. The old soldier at once approved the proposition, and a deserted eourtof the casi Ie, in whieh was a daisy-covered sward, was seleeted as most suitable for our purpose ; thither we repaired eyery af teruoon, and eontested at quoits, whirling the clubs, putting the stone, pitching the bar, rifle and pistol liring at targets, and similar exercises, at all of which I proved myself immeasurably the Count's superior. With the glove he was nowhere at all ; rclying on the paleness of his complexion, which, I liad somewhere read, is generally supposed to be allied to cowardice, I used to hit out straight at his eyes, and it was amusing to sec him duek his head to evade the blow. The spectators on these occasions were Mie workmen employed about the east'e, and when the gloves were brought out they ahvays advlsed me to "be tinder wid the furrin giBtleïnan, Mr. Mervyn, now, or ye'll kuock him intil the middle o' uext week." The only weapons in the use of which the Count was my superior were the broadsword and eutlass. The use of these he had evidently been taught when in the navy. I tuerefore privatcly practieed the swoFd exercise " daily with the Count'a valet, aH old cavalry soldier, who taught me several cuts, thrusts, and parries, and I was becoming rapidly skilied in their use. It will be evident that I had studied the Count's personal peculiarities and eharacter closely ; in fact, my repuguance towards him increased as time elapsed. Ou his tlrst arrival I had thought him au attractivc person, but my opinión had. in the interval, uudergone very considerable change ; I could not divest myself of the idea that his intentions were of a sinister nature, and that I should, before lous, have to do battle with him for my ove. In this expectation I daily practised every athletic eZereUe in my power, and found myself quickly getting into the most perfect "form." TO HE C'ONTINUED.