AUQ, 43 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
400 
LIFE. 
Life ! we’ve been long 1 together. 
Through pleasant and through cloudy weather, 
’Tis hard to part when friends are dear, 
Perhaps t’will cost a sigh, a tear ; 
Then steal away, give little warning, 
Choose thine own time; 
Say not “ good night” but in Borne brighter clime 
Bid me “ good morning. Mrs. SarbauM. 
OUR MUSE. 
The maiden with arms a-klmbo that looks out 
slantingly from this page ts a mythological char¬ 
acter. Greece Is undoubtedly her'addresa, but. 
as the lady left no cards, and as we are more than 
commonly bashful, we may not divulge her name. 
Her countenance Is open and pleasant and her 
pose graceful. It Is also difficult, Wo know It, 
because In the seclusion of the sanctum we at¬ 
tempted to stand and look as she stands and 
looks. It was n mocking failure. 
But her name haunts us still. She may be a 
muse—one of the immortal Nine—and as the po¬ 
sition Is the one we usually attempt when “ bal¬ 
ancing to partners,” we should not bo surprised 
to learn that herilrBt name was Terpsichore. 
'jS>torjr-®flUr. 
PAULINE.—PART I. 
[Continued from page 1M, Inst No.] 
“ thkkr, take It!” said she, •• you will need It 
to help you across the ‘ Englishman’s Sorrow.’ ” 
“ What may that mean, Miss Calverley ?” 
“Nothing,”coloring under the gravity of his 
reply. “Only a name given to part of the Mohr 
Ben particularly difficult to climb. You will be 
glad of your stick then,” 
“Ishould be glad of a straightforward answer 
now.” 
She was struck mute. 
“ You meant that 1 should be glad of something 
to comfort mo when I am away from you.” 
He had Intended to put her In a passion, and 
had succeeded. 
“How—how can you? What-"cried she, 
trembling all over. The door opened. 
“ Hush! never mind! It was all a Joke; only a 
Joke, mind. Don't be cross with me. (Louder.) 
By the way, this Highland balh Am I to have the 
honor of opening It with you?” 
She could not speak. 
“ Oh, you are not gone ?” said Tom, In the door¬ 
way. “My aunt wants to know if you won’t have 
luncheon, or wine, or something?” 
“ It could be on the table In nve minutes,” said 
the lady’s voice behind. 
“ No, indeed, thanks. J shall get something at 
the ferry.” 
“Well?” to Elsie. 
She turned away. “ You can’t dance a reel.” 
“ 1 can't dance anything, but I think I can dig 
my heels Into the floor as hard as even Dr. Muc- 
leay could desire. Will you be my partner?" 
so he w rung from her a sullen consent ere he 
went. 
“ Hr can’t dance, Indeed !” cried Tom, not over 
well pleased with what he had heard. “ That’s 
rather good, 1 think. When there was not a wake, 
nor a ralr, nor a lark of any kind going, within 
twenty miles of Blundellsaye, but he and Guy 
were In the thick of It!” 
“ He would not learn much dancing In that 
way.” 
“ If he had not dancing he had drinking.” 
“Does he drink/” said his cousin, In a low 
voice. 
“Drink? No. You can’t watch him very closely, 
or you would see that for yourself. He won’t even 
allow his poor fellows their glass of grog; and 
looks such daggers at the decanters here that It 
Is positively uncivil. I can’t get my mouthful of 
port after dinner ror him. No, ho doesn’t drink 
now." 
“ Was he very bad, Tom?” 
There was an air of good faith about Tom, which 
compelled a certain amount of credence, even 
from the most skeptical of listeners. 
“Bad as bad could be. The hardest drinker In 
the country,” impressively. The slightest oppo¬ 
sition, and he would have substituted “ In En¬ 
gland but Elsie was subdued, and he had only 
to proceed. “ They were both getting quite bloat¬ 
ed and boitlc-noscd. Then Guy dropped ofT, and 
Ralph pulled up. Just In time, I can tell you.” 
“ He does not look as it-" 
“ Oh yes, he does. A man could tell It In a mo¬ 
ment. Depend upon It," knowingly, “ Uncle Mac- 
leay sees It as well as I do." 
Apparently Dr. Maeleay did, for shortly after¬ 
wards he took the opportunity of questioning 
young I.aSarte more closely about bis friend than 
any of the rest of the party had thought of doing. 
Tom was m his glory. “ I knew him when I was 
at Stow. His place, Blundellsaye, 1s not far from 
there. He was In the Life Guards,” feeling as If 
each statement clinched his man’s respectability 
more satisfactorily than did the one before It. 
“Indeed! you knew him very well?” rejoined 
the old gentlomau, carelessly. 
“Oh, by Jove, yes! All our fellows knew him. 
We were oiten over there. The most splendid 
place,” proceeded Tgm, launching out—” quite a 
palace, gardens, grouuds, everything. And shoot¬ 
ing—no end of shooting; best shoollug In the 
county. Have you ever been la Berkshire ?” 
“Not lately. Not for several years.’! 
< 1 Perhaps you have seen bis place ? 
“ Perhaps I have; but there are a great many 
tine places down there.” 
“ Yes, of course,” rather taken aback. “ Of 
course; the fluest county In England for good 
houses.” 
“ Do you think so ? T am not suro that I agree 
with you. But It must have been a groat thing 
for you to have had a good friend, near at hand, 
In your schooldays." 
“ Well,” said Tom, with a llttlo laugh. “ 1 don’t 
know that he was a particularly good friend. 
enco Is that to-nlght we are to be deprived of any 
—but you. this Is not your way at. all. Some peo¬ 
ple might, even Insinuate that a certain small 
personage in davs gone by was called a chatter¬ 
box ; eh, Elsie ?” 
“Oh, I can chatter, if you like! There Is so 
much to chatter about, Is there not? Plenty of 
fun and news, and everything Is so lively and en¬ 
tertaining, ourselves In particular.” 
“Bo that’s It, is It?” said he, Blowly. ‘ You are 
duU. 1 am sorry; I might have guessed that be- 
Vjm 
They were a little bit wild, you know, he and his 
brother; but we don’t say anything about that 
hero.” 
“ A married man ?" 
<• oh dear, no; never was a less married man, I 
should say.” 
“ He seems to bo very much at home with you 
all.” 
“ Quito a tame cat about the house. They all 
like him, you see; my aunt is quite taken wltn 
him." 
“Your aunt!" thought the doctor. “I wish your 
sister may not bo taken with him, too. He Is 
doing his best to make her, and this rattle-pate 
sees nothing.” 
» Rather got the better of the old boy,” relleclcd 
Tom. “ Put him off the scent completely. Scored, 
and no mistake." 
Dull and spiritless was the party assembled In 
the drawing-room after dinner that evening. 
No one asked lor music, no one cared for tea, 
nooneseomed willing to do anything the others 
wanted. Of the three young ones, it may be said 
that each one of them was In a more unreason¬ 
able, contradictory, plck-a-quarrei mind than the 
other. 
“ Elsie, let us have a game at backgammon?” 
“Oh, no.” 
“Chess, then?” 
“ I hate chess!” 
“ Bezlque?” 
“ Mamma does not like the sight of cards.” 
“Cards? It Is the most Innocent game in the 
world I Who ever heard of gambling at bezlque ? 
And 1 suppose that is what she objects to ?’’ 
“ There is not a pack In the house, at any rate.” 
Tom raised the question. “ What shall we 
have?” 
“Nothing.” 
“You are in a nice mind to-nlght,” said he, eye- 
j tag her. “ May 1 ask If 1 have done anything to 
offend you?” 
Poor soul! no. That power was not In his hands. 
If he could but have offended her, there might 
have been hope for him. 
“No, Tom,” said bhe, wearily, “how should 
you?" 
“ H, is all very well for Paulino—Bhe never fa» 
yorg iju with much conversation; the oply dlfferv 
fore. It is stupid work for you to be left with only 
us and Dr. Maeleay to amuse you-" 
“Tobe left l" said Elsie, rather pale. “What 
are you talklug about?" 
ilia bolt had struck. He could only answer 
gloomily, "You know best,” and silence fell be¬ 
tween them. 
“Tom, I beg your pardon; I was very disagree¬ 
able. Please, Tom, forgive me.” 
Tie nodded, with a watery smile In his eyes that 
touched her heart. 
" Tom, 1 will play any game with you that you 
like.” 
“ Elsie, I had rather you did not play with me 
at all.” 
CHAPTER VII. 
A Talk In the Turret Chamber. 
Nkxt mornlug found them all In better minds, 
as became the day. The elements likewise had 
exhausted their angry feelings. All was bright 
and peaceful. 
Dr. Maeleay conducted divine service Hi a small 
church within a mile of the castle, the relieving a 
sick brother or his Sabbath duties being the prim¬ 
ary object of his visit there. He had been unable 
to come the week before, and hence Pauline’s walk 
and Its consequences. 
“ Paulle, do you not think It was a little, a very 
little too long ?” 
“No, Elsie; 1 was surprised when It was over.” 
“ So was I, for I thought It would never bo over. 
But 1 should not say so to any one but you." 
Bhe was nestling her head down la her cousin’s 
lap, over which the golden hair, unbound, fell 
like a velL The two had retired to the turret 
chamber, had settled themselves within the little 
recess, and, l grieve to add, had bolted the door 
against poor Tom, who was hovering somewhere 
In the vicinity. 
“It was a beautiful sermon,” said Pauline. 
“ Yes, I daresay. Mamma la always In such 
spirits when Uncle Maeleay Is going to preach. I 
had not a word against the sermon, Paulle; only 
I thought It might have been said in a Uttle less 
time. You have not such long sermons In En¬ 
gland?” 
“ Our service la longer, much longer. On the 
whole, they come to the same in the end.” 
“ To tell you the truth, It was Tom I felt, for. 
Ho kept changing hla arm about, and fidgeting 
with his rose, and it put me out so, that I grew 
aB bad as he. Then 1 did wish Uncle Maeleay 
would have left out the words ‘ fourthly' aud 
1 rirthly;’ It would not have called one’s attention 
to Its being such a length If he had said all lie 
had to say, without making tho Intervals so em¬ 
phatically." 
Paulino laughed. 
“ Paulle, 1 always think you are so good about 
our Church.” 
“ Don’t you know that I am a Calvinist by des¬ 
cent?” 
“And I am a Lutheran by Inclination. Your 
churches, or better still your cathedrals, 1 do de¬ 
light In them! l would never go to a Presbyte¬ 
rian church again If I could get to ono of these. 
Does this one or ours not strllto you us horrible 
when you first come 7 Does It not, Paulle 7” 
“The music Is rude, certainly,” replied her 
cousin; “and tuo building—well, the less said 
about It the better. But the people and tho 
preacher-Elsie, do you ever think what a noble 
life your undo leads? When he was talking last 
night, telling us those strange wild tales of what 
lie has actually hLmselt gone through, has known 
and scon with Ills own eyes, he seems to mo to 
turn Into one of the heroes of tho first Church, 
‘fullof faith, and power, and the Holy Ghost,’ 
going from place to place teaching and preaching, 
in spite of every kind of danger and hardship. 
How lightly the things of this world seem to sit 
I ponhlm! lie Is not Ignorant; lie knows and la 
iterested In all that Is going on, far more than 
ny of us are, but ho chooses not Lo mix in It. 
jid sucll abilities, such energies, as lie expends 
pon these simple pooplo! 1 never heard the 
Void of God explained with greater rnrr, greater 
nins than wo have had It to-day. Tho language 
ms so well chosen-” 
“ Paulino, you arc quite enthusiastic.” 
“Yes, I am ; I felt stirred. It did one good to 
io there." 
“ I am glad ho camo when you were with us." 
“And tho people, how attentive they were t 
ind what long distances they had come 1” con- 
lnued Pauline, tho romantic, as well ns the de¬ 
votional sldo of whose character had boon 
ouched. “ Did yon notice how they sat almost 
nationless from ilrstlo last, as If they would not 
ose a word If they could Help it? 1 could not 
ccep from thinking of tho ‘ two or three’ gathered 
iogether, tor, after ail, we were so tew; but I do 
iellcve, Elsie, He was In the midst of us." 
“ Then only Tom and I wero naughty,” said 
Elsie, ruofully. " t saw how you were listening : 
ind when ho stopped, If your eyes had not been 
jo firmly fixed upon hlrn, l should have thought 
you had been asleep, you atai tcd up so." 
“ Asleep, dear 7” 
“ I know you were not, of course ? You sat like 
a statue from beglnnlug to cud. You are a very 
good Paulino.” 
“ Elsie !” l’aullne was actually blushing. “ I 
am ashamed to tell you, but—but— l was not at¬ 
tending at that moment. I don’t know how it 
was, but just then my thoughts had wandered, 
and the end did take me by surprise. I was think¬ 
ing—for 1 ought to tell you t he truth- whether 
the sou-air would take the color out of my lilac 
hat If I were to wear It when we go In the 
yacht ?” 
“ Then you are the best I’aullnc that ever was, 
to come and confess it! And l love you twenty 
hundred thousand times better for that, than It 
you could repeat the sermon word for word from 
begtuuLng to end.” 
“ 1 don’t know how It was,” pleaded Paulino. 
“ Never mind how It was; you looked so good, 
so perfect, sitting there, In that pretty white illy 
bonnet; and then to think— But, Paulle, I 
don’t mind tolling you now— l did not listen at 
all ! 1 hardly heard a single word, 1 was so rest¬ 
less; anil I could not help thinking of other things 
all tho time. Indeed, l do usually attend to Un¬ 
cle Maeleay, and never found Ills sermons long 
before.” 
“ You wero thinking,” said her cousin, slowly. 
“Yes, about all sorts of things. Paulle, how 
strange this last week has been! We Hcem to 
have been living quite In a world or our own, 
don’t we ? Isn’t It odd, when one comes to re¬ 
member that It was only this day week when you 
first met Mr. Blundell ?” 
“ Elsie, I want to say a word to you—about Mr. 
Blundell.” 
“ What about him?” a quick movement, a sud¬ 
den alertness of reply. 
“ You see wo have only Tom’s word to depend 
upon for all we know of him. And you know 
what Tom’s word Is. I daresay it may be quite 
correct on sorne points—Indeed Mr. Blundell has 
let us know that of his own accord ; but Tom con¬ 
tradicts himself so, as to others, that It Is Impos¬ 
sible to trust him.’ 
“ I should think It was.” 
“ Dr. Maeleay let drop a hint of this kind to¬ 
day. Not In the least as If It concerned any of 
us; he only suggested In a general way that young 
men were not the best Judges of each other, and 
11 let me see who he was thinking about. I could 
5 t hardly tell how it was done, but somehow It star¬ 
ve tied me to find how completely wo are In tho dark 
>r as to what he is, though we may know what he 
;e was. So I thought I would Just remind you, 
Elsie." 
“ But why mo ?” 
ih “ I was afraid that perhaps you might have 
I been—thinking—about him, dear." 
ly « Who ? ft J think ?” exclaimed Elsie, In un- 
ss feigned astonishment. What can you mean, 
a- Paulino ? It la you, not I -" . 
“Elsie 1” 
ie '* This la all very tine. You, who are so wise, 
so busy with your nice Uttle motherly admonition 
