A Family Affair

CIIAPTER II (CONTINCED). Why, with guch sensible views on things in general, the tvvo young men did not follow their sister's example and make brilliant matches, is a matter whichhas never been clearly explained. When, after an immaculate career, they left Oxford, they were tal], wellbui.t 3'oung fellows; moreover, earrying about them an inherent look of dlstinctioa. With many women- the middle aged especially - these tall handsome. refined young men were prime favorites. The fact of the brothers having reached the respective ages of forty and forty one without having seleced help-meets for them argües that something which makes a marying man was missing f rom their natures. The brothers were the best of friends. They understood and sympathized with each other's likes, dislikes and weaknesses. Unly once in their lives had they quarreíed, but that quarrel had lasted for six }ears. They shudder now as they look back upon that time. It was no vulgar dispute, which is made known to all the world, and in which mutual friends are expected to take sides. lt was only the Talberts themselves who knew that a quarrel eüsted. To outsiders they seemed more absurdly polite to each other than ever. The cause of the ouarrel was the interference of one brother with the other's affairs. They were peculiar men and very tenacious of the Englishaau's duty of minding Mis own business, ds a certain o casion one of them faneied a rather delicate matter as much nis own bus ness as his brother" s. He was mistaken. They did not use high words, beeause such things ere not in their line; but each brother was sadly fina. The upshot was that for six years they o ly spoke when, they met in sojiety. At last old Talbert died. His uccessful dauofhter had been dead a long timo. The old man lef t Hazlewood House and its conteuts to hls sons conjointly. The rest t his fortune he divided into throe paris, and left it in this proportion to each of his children or their children, if any. Then the sons met at Ha . lewood House aud considered what they should do. First of all, as was becoming, they made up ïheir differenees. Very little was said on either side, but it was understood that cordial relations were re-estitblished. At which happy conclusión eaoh man rejoiced greatly-the six years separaron had been a terrible affair- and tacitly registered a vow that for the future his brother's affairs should be his own, d:s(nct, private property. hy this time our friends had grown rather weary of gadding ar-out. Moreover. it was due to their posit'on that some place should be called their home. ï or nearly twonty years they had lived in the various capitals of Europe, and they knew that they had conquered soc'ety. Indeed, it is doubtful if any two men, not ( elebrities, were better knuwn than Horace and Herbert Talbert. fc-o they resolved to settled down and begin housekeeping on their own account. They cotnbined the'r collections, and made a lewood House curiously beautiful with paintingá, e'.iina and bric-a-brac This done, they settled down into quiet tlomi st'c life, and kept their house as methodically and carefully, and no doubt a gre.tt deal better than any tvvo old women could have done . CHAPTER III. AN ARGUMEST ANI' AS ARR1VAL. On the n;ght when the down-train carriedthegolden-headedehildto Blacktown, the Talberts had dined at home, without company. The two men were still at the tabïe sipping their claret and smoking c;ga ettes. They were neither great drinking men nor great smoking men. The dmnor-table was most tastcfully laid out. In spite of the season being mid-winter, it was gay with flowers. Quaint antiquo silver spoons and forks did duty, and the napery was of the whitest and iinost description The polish on the glass was such as to make the most careful housewife or conscientious servant wonder and envy. The room in which the brothers wero sitting was furn'shed with a bold mixture of modern and antique. Where comfort and ut:lity were the r'rst considerations, the modern prevailed; where ornament or decoration had to be suppl ed, the antiqu", o ten the grotesque antique, was called into requisitlon. On the h'gh carved mantel piece etood OrieDtal brun.e vases witli hideous dragons creeping round them, and gaping, grinning kyüns, who looked mot-kingly and fearlo-s!y at the iierce monsters. Here and thcro was a píate of rich colored cloisonne enamel, % piece of Xankin china, a speoimen of old brass work, a bracket of real old carved oak, an aniique lam; or some ot'ier artielo dear to the colloetor i-orac half a do en medium sized but valuable paintings hung upon the walls. The Boor was covared by a sober hued Persian oarpet. anl, of courso, a roaring iire filled the grate The Talberts loSked very grave - as frave and solemn s Uoman fathers in igh debate, i be . were, indeed, discus 4ng a weigHty matter. After an interval of silenoe, Herbert rose and walked to h;s i rot her' 8 side. The two looked critioally down the table. They went to the bottom and looked up the table They went to the sides and looked across the tablp; they even sent glanoes d.agonally from corner to corner. "It iscertainlyagreat improvement," sa:d Horaci; with ijuiet triumph " v great improvement," e noed tho other. "Echo' is the right word -even their vo'ces were alike. Coffee was brought in, and the two fentlemen were about to leave tho ïning room, whon tho Rev. Mr. Mordle was annooneed. Mr. Mordle was the cúrate of Oakburv. and always a welsorno guest at Hazlewood lïousa. It was an unspoken axiom of the 'Talberts that the church set the seal of fitness upon hor servants, or, at least, upon her i pper seryants Organ blowers, parhh clerks, and pew openers wero tiie lower servants- so, all things being eLjual, a clergyman ould always break through the exclusireness whioh reigned at Hazlewood House Mr. Mordle was clever in his way. f uil of talk, and of course knew every in and out of th parish, in the administration to the wants of which he must have found tho Talberts a great a-sistance. All great men have their weaknesses. But then they dearly love having a finger in the pieparochial, Jeavinsrout of the question the fact that they liked the cúrate, and in the kindue-sof their hearts pitiei his loneliness So he often dropped in like this, uninvited, and no douot feit the privilege to be a great honor. On Mr. Mordle's side, he could thoroughly appreciate humor, the moro so when its existenee was quite unsuspected by the sédate humorist. To him the study of Horace and Herbert was a matter of keen and enduring delight They roso and greeted him. "kxcuse me," said Horace rather nervously, 'did -" 'Yes, I did," answered the cúrate briskly. "1 rubbed them- I scrubbed them - my feet feel red hot I coull dance a minuet on your table cloth without soiling it" The redundaney of the answer set their minds at rest. The bugbear of their domestic lives was persons entering their rooms without having tirst wiped their shoes as every Christian gentleman should. The hall door was so heavily armed with mats and sorapers that such an omission seemed an impossibility. Yet sometimes it did occur, and its effects wero terrible - almost tragic. Horacerang for more claret; Herbert passed hij eigarette case. and the three men chatted for a while on various subjeets. I resently said Horace with sad den s:on: "Ann Jenkins carne to m the? day before yesterday. She told a piteous tale. We gave her five shillings." ' Very good of yon," said the cúrate; she has a large family - nine, l think." 'Yes; but we are sorry now that we gave themoney. We are sure that she js not a careful, thrifty woman." ' Careful and thrifty people wouldn't want your half crovvns. But how did you find out hertrue character?" 'We walked behind her across tóe field this morning," said Horace, with erave regret "When she got over the stile we saw she had on two odd stockings, a black one and a gray one - or blue and gray, I am not certain which." "Blue and gray," said Ferbert. "I noticed particularly." "Her tastes, like yours," said the cúrate, "may bo cultured enough to avoid Philistinic uniformify,'' "Oh, dear no," said i erbert seriously. "We argue in this way. The woman has two pairs of stockings - " "I doubt it " said the cúrate. "But, never mind - go on " His friends were surpassing thomselve3! "She has two pairs - one gray, the other blue or black. í- he has worn one stocking into holes. Instead of sitting down and darning it, like a decent body. she simply puts on one of the other pair." "Why doesn't she put on the other pair altogether?" asked Mr. Mordle. "Because," said Horace triumphantly, "one stoeking of that pair is in the same dilapidated condition: so her condu t is doubly bad. As I sa'd, she is not adeserving woman. " "Granting your premises," said Mr. Mordle, "your argument is not ïllogical. Your reasoning appears sounds, your de uctions correct. But - " 'I he cúrate was preparing for a delicious battle on the subject, well worn or otherwise, of Ann Jenkin's hose. He meant to learn why one stocking of either pair should wear out before its fellow, and many other fanci'ul combinations were forming themselves in his subtle brain, when the interest in tho niended or unmended stockings was extinguUhed by the entrance of the Talbert's irreproachable looking man servant. He informed his masters that the man had brought the child. "What man? What child?" asked Horace. "Do you expoct a man or & ehild, Herbert?" Certainly not. What do you mean, Whittaker?" "A railway man bas brought a child, sir. Hesays it is to be left hcre," 'There must be some stupid . mistake." "So doubt, sir," said Whittaker respectfully, but showing that his opinión quite coincided with his masters'. "A here is the man?" asked Hornee. "In the hall, sir." "Did he wipe his shoes?" asked Herbert in dread. "Certainly, sir; I insisted upon his doing so." "We had better sec tho stupid man and set the matter right." said Hoi-aee. "Excuse us for a moment, Mr. Monile." The two tall men walked into tho hall, leaving Mr. Mordle to chuckle at his ease. Hazlewood House was certainly a mo3t interesting place this evening. It was lucky for the cúrate that he indulged in his merriment witb his face turned from the door, as in ft nrnute the respectable Whittaker entered the room. "AIi Ta boit and Mr. Herbert would be glad if you would step out for a moment, sir." Thereupon Mr. Mordió went into the hall and saw a most comical sight - the solemnity of the actors concerned not being the least comical part of it. Standing sheepishly on tho door mat, or rather on one of the leg on of doormats, was a solid-faced porter in his uniform of brown fustian, velveteen or whatever they cali the stuft". On either side of the massive oblong hall-table stoodone of the Talberts. wliilst between them, on the table itself, was a child with a mafs of turabled, flossy golden hair streaming down from under a natty littlo cap. Horace and Herbert, each armed with his horn-rimmed eye-glass, and with Jooks of utter consternation and bewilderment upon their face, wero bending down and inspecting the child. To Mr. I ordle's imaginativo mind, tho group suggested a picture he had once seen of tho Brobdignagians t;king stock of Gulliver; nor could the picturo havo been in any way spo.led whcn he, himself a tall man, went to one end of the table, whilst Whittaker another tall man, stood at a becoming distanco from the other end, and joinad in tho scrut'ny of the diminutive stranger. fTO BE CONTIXUED.)