The Governess

ihe next day Margaret was introduced to her pupil, a pretty, llaxeuhaired, blue-eyed thing, like and yet unlike her cold, haughty rnother, of whom sho evidently stood in great awe; and after breakfasting with her in the school-room proceeded to try and in struet her in some simple things. the found her utterly untaught and restless, and soon desisted, and let her show her the "lions" of Harlowe Hall - tho long dim corridors, the noble rooms, with their dadoes, and floors of polished wood, quaint Queen Anue furniture, and rich hangings, the splen did stained-glass mullioned Windows, through which the sunlight strear ed in iloods of purple and crimson, and last, though not least, the picture-gallery, where Harlowes and Norburys looked down from the wall in all manner of colors, some with dark frowns on their pictured faces, others smilingly. The child pointed oiit several nota bles, and tlien stopped before the portrait of ayoungman in an oldfashioned coat and 'high stock, and observed: "That is t ncleBen." Miss Crewo studied the handsome keen face for a few moments, and then her eyes feil on a miniature beside it, and with a start and a sudden fading of the faint bloom on her cheeks, she askcd: ' Who-who-is that?" "Cousin Jack," replied the child, lookiDg fondly at the handsome face, with lts sunny gray eyes and clustering chestnut curls. "Jaek who?" asked the governess. "Norbnry." "What ia he to- }Tour uncle. '■Xephew. He is Uncle Gerard's son," explained Dorothy glihly, "and mamma savs Uncle Ben will lëave him all his pret'y things, and all his money, if he marries the lady he wants him to. " "And who is that?" queried Margaret fainlly. 'Miss Langdon. You'll see her soon. She's coming to stav in a week or two, andsbe'x so pretty.'' 11 s she?" said Margaret slowly; adding suddenly: "Wouldn't you like to go out now, and piek violeta in the wood you were telling me about?" "Oh yes, I should. laughed the child gleefully chtpping her hands. And together they went out into the lanes and lields, where tho young grasses were springing, and the early llowers blooming. But Miss Crewe was strangely silent and self-absorbed, and Dorothy began to think she would not much like her new goveniess. She seemed so dull, without a partiële oí fíin or playfulness aboiit her, for all that she had golden hair aud great big blue eyes, like the lovelv model doll Uncle Beu gave her the Christin aa before. That erening sho dined with Mrs. Morton at seven, and precisely at eight a dark clean shaved man in plain clotnes carao to the dining room door and announced that Mr. Korbury wished Miss Crewe to go to his room, and with a little inward treiubling Margaret rose and followed the man up the oak stair case, traversed a gallery down which she had not yet been, not even during the tour of insjection with her littie pupil, down a short corridor, and then tho man stopped and knocked at a green baie door that had the appcarance of being arranged to exclude sound ! "Come in," sounding rather mufllod and far away, answereu the knock, and as the attondant threw open the door Margaret entered a long, low ceiled panelled rooi , lighted by quaint antique lamps huüg from the ceiling, tha dif fused a subdued yet pleasant light around on the mailed figures that stood in tho corners, on trophies of spears, swords, guns, pistols, helmets and shields dented aud worn in many a furious fray; on the dark polished floor strewn here and there with lion, leopard and bear skins; on the high back caiven chairs and tables, on a magnificent bouqiiet of hot house llowers in a lrosted silver va?e, and on tho figure of an old man who sat in a comfortaly eushioned easy chair by the hearth where a lovelv log lire buined, leaning his elbow on tde table by the silver iiower-1 llod vase. "Good evening," he said, lifting hiniself slightly; "1 am glad to seo you, and hope you have reoovered from theeöects of your long journey." "Quite, tliank you," rcturncd Margaret as she put her slim cool fingers into tho yellow claw l.-ke hand extended, and lookcd at tin; old luao, u whose slinuikcn salluw íace liltle traces of his handsonio JOUth remained save and except the large, clear grey eyes, that werc so biight and k en they hardly seenied to require tho aid of the oldfashioned heavih mounted glasses that lm g round his ne k, suspended by a black ribbon. "l suppose Loeksley and my sister 1 .ivo given you some idea of your dutieaP" "Yes. I have Deen told that I ain to read or sing to you, and play ches every evening. ' "Every cvening!" he echoed. "I li not :iy that. Isabel tokl you that,' with a sharp glance at her. ' Isabel? she rejieated en;uiringly. "Ves; Isabfll Morton- my sister. " ' Oh cs Wrs. Morton told me you would require me every evening," answereil tbc gir) quietly. " ust like her," said Mr. Norhury with a bitter litlle laugli. "Of course she' a been abusing me to you already " ' Mr. Norbury! exclaimed Margaret, coloring is shc re olie ted his sister's not ullofriitlier compliniontary rem ark . 1 know she bas. Uon'tdtny !.t," he ried te-tily. "I bate a lio and love the truth at any cost " "I ain iot going to ileny it," said tlie ■irl, feeling that with thi.s old man subsrfuge :'.n(l prcTarication would be vvorse than uscless "Mrs. Morton said . u (rere atlier exact ng and that I must be prepared to bo dismisBed at a moment 's notice, without any apparent i-L-isson." "Did sho though? That's prtty trom; froin a woman who owes all sho ms to me" hc muttered to bimself half iloud. "Hut come and si t down" h ■ .dded. ' Vou have been Standing all his time. I want lo have a good louk at you.' Slargaret a)proached i nd sat in the hrcecornured cha r heind Cflted, wli t;h irought her more fully into the light of otli lamps and tiro. "Whv, bless me, who is ityon rom : ml me of?" he cxclaimed as hu peered at ter curiously through the gold-rlnimed glasscs. ' hat's yourname? Iforget" "Margaret Crewe," she answendin ïer sweet tonus, blushing just a littlo under his serut'ny. "Margaret - Iklargaret," musingly: "yes, ot cour e. And wliat was your mother s rnaiden name?" ".oble." Ah!" For a moment the sunkcn ycllow face ! seemed to turn a dusky white, and tuen ■ he leaned his head i n his hand and shaded it froni her gazo She lonped to ask him if he knew her mother tbat deat mother who had been called away while she was slill a little chil'd, and of whom he had only a mtsty uiemory of a lovoly face wltn sad blue eyes and frame of golden tresses, ut she did not daré, and a ter a moment he dropped his haud, and iurning asked her f he w uld sing. "With pleasure," she assented readily. ' What kind of tongs 'o you like?" ' Something simple billads. Vo you know any of Monre's?" ' Yes," and sitting down at the quaint tall piano she beg&D, "15 lieve me if all those endearing young liaim.s." It was not a grand m trument by any means, but it was tuneful and her full glorious voiee rose to ts accompaniment, and ransr throil'h the old room, stirring lonsr forgotten memories, sad if sweet, within tlio old nian's breast. "Ah, yoti'll suit me in that respect," he observed whcii she linished. '"1 liko your voice." " atn glad of that," she answered modes tly. "Now try another and go on UU I stop yon or you f el lired." bedlcntl. she urned and struck the opening bars of ' My Heart and FatO," and went on from one lo another for nearly ai d honr. "Thanks I must not wofk you to death," he remarked at last. (.'ome and have a game of chesa wilh me, and pour out the chocolate." Moving with easy pra?e, shc wheeled up the beautiful inluid chess ta Ie, then poured the chocolate ut of a lovely silver pot into t'.e vare Worccster cups. and then handing one to h , took the othcr bersolf, and sat opposite him. Thiy played for over an hour, and during that time thought of nothing save the teehuicalities of the game lie was a good and became absorbed in the game with a sort of fieroe inter.seness whicli strnck bis opponGDt as curiou?. and everv time he beat her he clnickled and rubbed his hands, and showed every sign of delight, jnst :is though she had boen a crack player instead of a very Indiflerent one. "That will do." he said as he cheekmated her for the f.mrth time. 'Kind ly ring for Latimer. 1 kiep early hours, being a mere retnnant of a man " 'Shall I come her.; lo morrow evening?" slieasked as she pulled the bell. "Yes; if the dulluess and dreariuess of tonight have not wear.ed you, my dear," he s:id kindly. "J should bo glad to have you with me.' "Then 1 will come at eiülit," she rojoined with that soft BWeët sinile that mado her fair face mora beantiful. "Very well; and teil :s:ibel that I don't think ou will g ve me canse to disrai.-s you at a motnent's notice " as she moved towards the door "I would rather you should teil her that yourself, pleasë," 'he pleaded ''Certainly i will. if you prefer it. Good-night- goodnight." And then the door elosed after her, and sho was f ree to go to her owdroom and ponder over the strange events of the day. CHAPTER IV. For some weeks Margaret's lffe glided on smoohly and with a certain amount of surupness. She breakfa-ted in the schoslroom with little Dorothy, generally ltmched with Mis Norton and her pupil, en countering the widow's seornful iadifference with a show of uneonsciousness that stung and annoyed the eider lady greatly; dined with her at seven and spent the rest of the evening with Mr. Norbury, betweeu whom and herself a queer kind of all'ection seemed to huve sprung up. He was eccentric, curt, sometimes unreasonable, yet he always treated her courteously, and was invariably glad to see her, and listened to her singing with evident delight. "I atn expecting friends to arrive hero to-day," observed Mrs. Morton one afternoon as they sat at l.unch, "I suppose, Miss Urewe, you will have no objection to help me entertain them about the afternoon tea hour, and pour it out and dispense it for me " "Not the least in the world," answered largaret coolly. "And sometimes I should liko you to sing for an evening, if you will. My brother speaks very highly of your voiee." "Mr. Norbury is very good," said the girl with a slight blush that did not escapo the widow s shavp eyes. "if he can spare me oicasionally, I will sing for you." "He can easily do that. Ferhaps, whilo I ha e guosts, you would prefer diningintheschoolroom ith Dorothy?" she suu'gested cleverly, not wish ng to have Mog s l.eautiful face too much en eviUenre, as she expected, among otliers, a hard-riding, hard drísking, fox hunting squire, rom a neighbouring sh re, whom she wished to iascinate an ] approprite to herself, as his runt roll was long ard his establishment magniticent, and laeking a mstres-i. '-hen you can go to my brother at seven, and come to the drawing-room at nine Will that arrangement snit you?" "Very well," agreed iss ■ rewe readiiy, for she did not care to mix too much with the truy buttcr llie-i of fashion whom she knewMrs Morton would rather round her. "Then adieu until live;"' aud with a carelcss nod the widow went u i to array herself in dainty attire, and drive down to meet her friends. [TO BI (OSTINIED.]