A Family Affair

CHAPÏER I. A LITTLE ÜEBKLICT. It was a dreary, disnial afternoon. All the lights of Paddington station woro needed to conquer the damp fog whih fiiled the arched expanse from end to ond. The broad platform teemed with the motion and bustle attendant upon the departure of a train The guard shut the last door which somobody's carelessness had left open, jumped into his van as it swept by him, and, punctual to the minute, the five o'clock train left London and began its race to Pen?ance. In one of the tirst cía s conipartnients were threo passengers, although the railway company would only benefit to the extcnt of two fares; ono of these passengers being a child still young enough to be passed oï as a child in arma. Th: two travolerswhoaugmented the company's revenue were a man and a wornan. 'J hat they were strangers was evident, and it was also evident that the man was an oíd traveler. As goon as the Irain was in motion, and he feltinsured for sonie time to come against disturbance, he arranged his wra s in the most approved fashion, donned a soft cap, lit a lamp and burjed himself in a book He was a young man; but as he appears in this tale only to disappear, adetailed description would be superíiuous. Itis enough to know he was a gentleman, well dressed, well-to-do in appearance, and looked quite in his proper place in a iirst-class carriage. There was uothing remarkable in the woman's appearance, e cept the utter absence of individuality it displa ed. For any guidance her looks gave, she might have been rich or poor, yonng or old, beautiful or ugly, noble or simple. Had her traveling cómpanion been as curious as he was at present indifferent about the matter, he might have sat opposite to her from London to the Land's Knd, yet not have known how to classify her. She was dressed in plain black -and black, like harity and night, covereth and hideth much. No scrap of bright ribbon, no vestige of color, broke the somber monotony of her attire, and a thick black veil hid the upper part of her face. She snt like one in a thoughtful frame of mind. Her head was bent forward and so threw her mouth and chin into the shade. Her hands being gloved, it was impossible to know Iwhether she wore a ring or not. 1 ( f the child, a little boy, there was nothing that could be seen except a 'ruass of bright golden hair. The woman had wóund a thick shawl around him and held him close to her bosom, He was no annoyance to anyone, for, shortly after the train started, he feil asleep. Indeed, so inoffensive were his ■traveling companion?, that the gentle,man, who had feit somewhat disgusted whcn a wonian and child entered the compartment. began to hopo that, after all, he need not shift his quarters at the tirst stoppage. Near Keadiug the train slackened. The gentleman with the book breathed an inward prayer that he might not be disturbed. He did not notice that, as the train drew up at the platform, the 'wonian half rose from her seat, as if her journey was at an end; then, after a niomcnt's hesitation, re-seated herself in her former attitude. The travelers were not disturbed. The train shot on once more. Stiil the gentleman read his still the silent woman held the sleep'ng child. In less than hourDidcot was reached. The woman, after a quick glance, to assure herself that the reader was intent upon his book, pressed her lips upon the child's golden heud, and kept theni there until the train stopped. Kor a minute or two sbe remained motionless, then laying the child on the seat, rose quickly and openjed the carriage door. The reader looked up as the cold, damp air rushed into tho heated compartment "You have no time to get out," he said, "we are oit' in a minute." If sho heard the well-nieant caution "■ she paid no heed to it. She made no j reply. but, stepping on the platform, closed the carriage door behind her. 'J'he young man shrugged his shoulders and resumid his interrupted nara! graph. It was no business of nis if stnpid women chose to risk missing the train. Although. two minutes afterward, when he íound the train in rapid I motion, and himself and the sleeping j child the only tenants of the compartment, he saw that, after all, he was primarily concerned in the matter. In spite of his warning, the ruother had heen luft behind and he was in the un! enviable posit'on of having a child thrown npon his hanüs until the next ' stoppage. Although he was a bachelor, and one i who knew nothing of the ways of childI ren, he s arccly feit justified in pulling the emergency cord. Swiodon would bc. roached in less than an hour- there he would be reheved. !So he. could do no more than anathemat'ze thecareless mother. and pray that the child's slumbers nught bo unbroken. W hatever effect the ob urgatiou rnay have had, he soon saw tUat h s prayer was not to be granted. The cbild, no doubt, missing its protector' s embrace, opene.l ts eyes and beiran to strnggle. It would have rolled off the seat, had not its enforced guardián, who was a good-natun ■!. kind hi-ariod young fellow, picked it up ind tiunsfi'rred it to bis kneo. He meanl well, although lie did not hatidlc, it vi-ry sk lKully A inan must go through a conreo o( pa'nful experiences before he lea na how to handle a child proporly. Onr friend did his best, but so clunis Iv that the woolen sliawl ft-11 froin the child. and dsclosed a large ticket sewn on to V%e dress beneath. 'n it was writieu. ' II. 'l'albert, Esq., Hazelwood Hou e. Oaklmrv, near Blacktown." Tben he set'tled down to do ihts best ho oould loward &u]plying i the place of the ihhs ng uonian untíl : the 9toppage at SwinJon might bring deU' erance. Swindon al las', Tere the ill-use I trave!er called the guard, and as that officia] s of couisc pad lo undertake sll sorts of delic ite and nnforseen dut'es, witli jiorfoct fairnoss shifted all further responsibQitj on to hls shoulil ers, rejumod the penisal of lrs book, and troubled do more abontthe matter. The guarJ, without dlspating his position of guardián to all unprotected travelers, hardlj knew what to do in the present emergency. 'I lie hope that the foolish'naotlier hatl manag3l to get into another carriage was dispelled by ] I her not making lier appearance. Ho: was also puzzled by the careful way inj which tho child was labeled. This, guard had seen some cnrious thingsin' nis time, and, as the misging woman had left not a scrap of luggage behind, thought it not improbable that the desertion of the child was due to intention, not accident. At iirst he thought of leaving the tiny derelict at Swindon, ■ on the chance that the mother would arrive by the next train from Didcot. But the moro he thonght the matter over the more convinced he feit that j no mother would arrive by the rext or any following train. Being himself a j faniily man, and feeling most kindly i disrosed toward the little golden hoad whioh nestled in the most confiding way against his grcat brown beard, he decided to take the child on to Blacktown, and thence forward it as ad dressed. Pe pulled a couple of cushions out of a lirst class carriage, put them in one corner of his van, and tucked up little Golden-head as snugly as any mother oould have done; so J snugly and comfortably that the child at once clo3ed its blue eyes and slept until the train reached Blaektown. There the guard carried the little fellow into the refreshmcnt-room, and, leaving him in charge of the pleasant young ladies, went to look for a sober, yet speculative man wbo would tako the child to Oakbury on the chanco of belng paid for his trouble. He even i gave th s man half a crown - to be repaid out of his prospective reward - forcabhiro. CHAPTER IL A FAMILY OF POS1TIOW. Be it remcrabered that Oakbury is not Blaektown. Besides Lord Kelston's well known country seat, there must be in the parsh of Oakbury some twenty or twenty-five gentlemen's residence. They can not be called estates, as the ground attached to each varies respec tively from three to tiftv acres, but not a few of them might lay claim to be described by that well rounded phrase, dear to auctioneer and house agents, "a country manson, fit for the occupation and requirements of a family of position." They are not now, speculative, jerry built houses, bul good oldfashioned solid affairs. No painted and gilt railings urround them; thick boundary walls and fine old trees hide them from the gaze of inquisitivo holiday folks. As the country around is very beautiful and richly t:mberod; as the prevaihng wind which blows across Oakbury blows straight from the sea, puro and uncontaminated; as two of the best packs of hounds in Kngland meet within an easy dtstance; and, prejudice notwithstanding, as the conveniences offered hy a large city aro so close at hand- it is no wonder that the rector of Oakbury numbers many families of position among his parishioners. After this desoription it will be easily believed that the Oakbury people are somewhat exclusive -by the Oakbury people are meant the inhabitants of the aforesaid twenty houses; the manners of the villagers and other small fry who constitute the residuo of the population need not to be taken into account. The Oakbury people proper are very particular as to with whom thev associate, and the most particular and exclusive of all are two gentlemen named Talbert, the joint owners and occupiers of Hazelwood House. Their ultra exclusiveness was but the natural out come of the position in which they were placed. The fact that their income was derived from money made by their father in timber, tobáceo, soap, sugar, or soine other lar e iudustry of Blaektown - people have already nearly forgotten which it was - must be responsible for the care tho Talberts were bound to exercise before they made a new aoquaintance. Because, you see, in their opinión at least, the taint of trade still clung to them. They were but a generation removed from tho actual buying. selling and chaftering. So it was that upon attaining the earliest years of discretion, the sons decided that it was more incumbenl upon them than upon the generality of persons to be peculiarly particular in their choiee of friends. As they were amiable, right feeling young men, they looked upon this duty as a necessity. Had they been teniuteil to swerve from their line of conduct, respect for their father should have kept them steadfast. Before the two boys were out of the nur3ery, the great coup which is expected by every sanguine business man carne oíf. Mr. Talbert realized his capital and sold his business. He obtained less for it be cause he made the stipulation that his name should no longer appear in connection with it. Then, a widower with one daughler and two sons ho bought Hazelwood House, and settled down to drift gradually into good society. Ho educate'd his children by this creed. It is the duty of all people to rise in the world - both in commercial and social circles. Thanks to his exertions and good fortune, tho first half of the obligation had been discharged. The second rosted ehieïly with his children. He did not teil them this in detinite words, but all the same preached it to them most eloquently, and was more than content, and feit that the fruits of bis training were showing themselves, when his daughter married Sir Maingay Clauson, a fairly respectable and well-to-do baronet. This satisfaHory alliance gave the Talberts a lift in the social scale; although, so far as Oakbury was concerned, it was little needed. Mr. Talbert had now been out of business for at least ten years. He was quiet, gentlemanly, and, if not retiring, atleait unobtru8ive. nt as he no doubt feit on his own account, he nevertheless, held up their sister's brilliant match as an example to his sons, and talked so much about the necessity of their choos'ng their intimates fittingly that it is a marvel the young men did. not speedily develop into fools or snobs. The worst tbat could be urgod against the I'alberts was this. From tho vory lirst they had told themselves: "We can find as pleasant and as true friends among the upper ten thousand - amon? thoso who do not make their living by barter - as we can among tommercial people. Let us therefore only assoc ato with the best. A man has an undoubted r ght to choose his own frlencfs. Wo shill not go out of our way to toady to the great, bnt with our i!e is on the subject we can only malee assoe ates of thoso whom we considcr the ïroper cl-ss of ];eople. A duke of K ad in n ton may associute with whoiusoever he chooses. Ho isalvvays, perse, hc duke. We aro not dakes. l'ar fatlier made his nioney in - well never mind i what. We are not even millionaires. We have enough woalth to live comfortably and like gentlemen, but not enourli Co roll in. Jf we go hand in glove with o:l, tobáceo, corn, sugar, etc, we niu-t, on account of the narrow distance wh'oh divides us from tho statiH of eo nmeroe, sink lo tho Ie vel, or at least gef confounded with those us(!ful, rospe. table, pro table, but, to us dis'aseful commodities. There'ore it tehoOTOSUS tobe astidious even to a lault. pro nu coxtixued]