ptaarg IStisreUaug, 
CRUMBS. 
BY MRS. BETTIE KEYS CHAMBERS. 
The lesson which once has been learned, 
Is never so hard to repeat; 
And the lane which once has been turned. 
Is never so roufrh to the feet. 
Tho’ over and over afrain 
We're learning the lesson of life. 
There’s something we long for in vain, 
’Mid folly, and tumult and Btrife! 
But why are we never content 
If Faith in our bosoms we keep 1 
Tho’ false with the true may be blent— 
’Tis better to smile than to weep. 
Each day we may gather some bliss, 
Which close to our hearts we may bind; 
To make us courageous in this. 
While waiting the next life to find. 
Each day has its shadow nnd shine, 
Tho’ mingled with tempest and rain; 
" Each evening must surely decline; 
The night with its rest come again. 
Each footstep we make in the snow, 
Is weary and chilling, my dear: 
But nearer the valley below, 
Is smiling our spirits to cheer. 
And under the snow, ’neath our feet, 
May, dormant, lie some little seed. 
To spring up all lovely and sweet 
Because of our stop it had need. 
Thero’B many a gladness we. lose, 
W hich love to our clasping has led. 
Because we reach farther and choose 
To grasp at a shadow instead. 
Then do not be gloomy, nor sad. 
Whatever our lives have in store— 
We cannot unmix good and bad 
Till landed upon the bright shore. 
I know there are times wlicu the heart 
Is yearning for something above, 
AU Joy which on earth hath a part, 
All peace which is gathered from love. 
I know 'tiB but symbol and sign 
Of what we Bhall hereafter be— 
My spirit but asks the Divine 
One boon—to be folded with thee. 
Then do not be gloomy, or sad, 
Butlet us walk steadily, frieud, 
And look up—our bosoms made glad 
With cheerfulness unto the end. 
[For the Picayune. 
-♦-*-*- 
AN UGLY GIRL 
(Continued from page 261.) 
CHAPTER VI. 
MISS CABESFORDE'S DUENNA. 
An elegantly-served dinner was set before 
Noel, and the servants in attendance treated him 
with as much respect as if he had been really 
their lord and master; but he had no appetite, 
and the civilities of Uls attendants were so Irk¬ 
some to him, that as soon as he had ascertained 
Mrs. Estcourt was sleeping comfortably, he asked 
to be shown to the chamber he was to occupy. On 
the following morning In a more equable frame of 
mind, he was met in the breakfast-room by a 
comely, elderly matron. .She was In deep mourn¬ 
ing, like the rest of the household, but a penchant 
for bugles had led her to introduce them Into her 
costume so profusely, that from head to foot she 
glittered at every movement. This lady bustled 
forward to meet the guest, and volubly introduced 
herself as Mis. Ilurst. 
“ H-u-r-s-t," she spelled, tapping her palm with 
her forefinger the while. “I like to be exact on 
these points: we are not exact in this world, are 
we ? Mrs. Hurst, relict of a very worthy man, and 
the lady under whose care Miss Carlsforde was 
placed some years since. My dear niece IHUlan 
has described your lordship to me, so we will 
waive all formality, and proceed to breakfast. 
You’ll not object, perhaps, to communicating with 
me by signs? It commenced with the mumps, 
and ended In deafness—temporary, of course, but 
extremely Inconvenient, Just now, too, when I 
might have been of so much sendee to the poor 
child. You take sugar?’’ 
Noel moved to the seat to which Mrs. Hurst 
pointed, and then glanced at the door by which he 
hoped to see Hllllan Gray enter: but she did not 
appear, nor, although he exerted all his Ingenuity, 
could he make the lady understand his Inquiries 
for her niece. When he asked ir Allss Gray would 
not join them, she smiled blandly, and begged 
him not to make any further apologies, for it 
wasn’t of tho least consequence; she had not 
minded the delay at ail; it had given her time to 
decide whether she ought to put him on the 
right hand or the lert, whether he would prefer 
the window to the lire, or vine versa. In fact, now 
she came to think of it. she had only waited throe 
minutes afld a half precisely. 
“ And If it had been twice as long.’’ she added, 
as she poured out the coffee, “ the pleasure of 
your soolety would have compensated for It. 
We have been so low ever since the event—so 
frightfully low and depressed. It ought not to 
have happened, you know, at only rtrty-nlne and 
the Carletordea such a long-lived family. You 
look very healthy yourself, my lord; an excel¬ 
lent. constitution, 1 should say. judging by ap¬ 
pearances, which are ni# always deceitful. Yes. 
so very low, that irs really delightful to be able to 
to enjoy a little cheerful conversation once more.’’ 
The good lady appearing quite unconscious 
that she was Indulging In a monologue, Noel could 
only nod and smile, and submit to bo reduced to 
absolute silence by Ills tliability to make himself 
heard. 
“I shall visit your good mamma,” Mrs. Hurst 
told him presently, “as soon as Hllllan can go 
with me to Interpret. It Is not every one I can 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
understand as quickly as I do you; but then you r 
eyes and gestures are very expressive. Yes, I shall 
take Hllllan with me; but with one of her frightful 
headaches—which Is sure to end In cloths dipped 
In vinegar and a darkened room If she persists In 
exerting hereelf—how ts It to be done? Unless 
Mrs. Estcourt Is equal to a slate, then. Indeed, I 
could go to her directly. What do you say ?” 
Noel had to consider awhile before he compre¬ 
hended that Mrs. Hurst proposed holding a conver¬ 
sation with his step-mother by the help of a slate 
and pencil, and could, by a grave shake of the 
head, put a negative on her proposal. Atueh as he 
regretted the indisposition of the good-natured 
little Hllllan, he could not help feeling glad that 
Mrs. Estcourt would be left, to herself till she had 
partially recovered from the shock of her disap¬ 
pointed hopes, and would be less likely to disgust 
all who heard her with the peevish virulence of 
her lamentations. 
“ Not equal to It ? Poor soul!" cried Mrs, Hurst, 
sympathizingly. “ Just my own case when I was 
robbed at the railway-station; three large trunks, 
beside bonnet-boxes, and all Hllllan’s wardrobe— 
It was a great responsibility, you know—and 
couldn’t remember for the life of me whether my 
desk, with a lirty-pound note In it. was In the 
stolen trunk or one of the others. W henever I 
spoke I screamed—not Intentionally, of course; 
and I’m sure I felt as if I should have dropped 
when I saw the porters clap their hands over then- 
ears. Very distressing, wasn't It? 1 wish you 
would try another egg, my lord—pray do 1” 
But Noel was not to be persuaded, and Airs. 
Hurst, rising from her seat, came to his side, and 
laid the fat little forefinger, with which she always 
pointed her discourse, on his coat-sleeve. 
“ Then I'U tell you what we'll do. I will gc to 
the housekeeper’s room aud superintend the malt¬ 
ing of some jelly for Mrs. Estcourt; highly restor¬ 
ative, and from my own recipe. I tried It first on 
a favorite dog, and the effect was wonderful! If 
the poor pet had not died suddenly in a fite-wtlch 
will happen, you know, and no preventing those 
attacks -I’m sure l should have brought Fldo—did 
I tell you that his name was Fido ?—yes, I should 
have brought him round. And while I make the 
jelly, Mrs. Martin shall show you over the house. 
You’ll find plenty to amuse you; and if Miss Carls- 
forde really will not come down to dinner—vvlUch 
I think a mistake on her part, and I mean to tell 
her so—we will have a cosy evening tete-a-tete.” 
The smiling, talkative, self-satisfied but really 
warm-liearted old lady trotted away to fulfill her 
Intentions, and Noel, learning that his stepmother 
was not ready to receive his proffered visit, gladly 
availed himself of the services of the prlin house¬ 
keeper, who came at Mrs. Hurst’s suggestion to 
escort him through the principal apartments of 
the mansion. 
Mrs. Martin was not. accustomed to play the 
cicerone, and filled the office so badly, that when 
she had led the way through half-a-dozen dreary 
though magnificent saloons, and opened the door 
of the library, Noel was glad to civilly give her her 
dismissal. She was not an old servant, and had 
none of those quaint legends stored In her memory 
that, we generally hear from the custodians of our 
ancient balls and castles. Tho late lord’s suite, 
which communicated with the library, was full of 
pictures and statues, she said, and his lordship 
was at liberty to go wherever he pleased, except 
Into the tower. Miss Carlsforde was occupying 
the principal rooms In that, and might not like to 
be disturbed. 
Promising to respect the heiress’s retirement, 
Noel wandered at Ills leisure from picture to statue, 
from statue to cabinet, sometimes admiring the 
rare works of art the viscount, had collected, but 
not unfrequently wondering at the taste that pre¬ 
ferred whatever was antique to the equally beauti¬ 
ful productions of our own times; and when Ills 
head aud eyes ached with gazing, he opened a 
glass door, and stepped out, to lake from the gar¬ 
dens a survey of the exterior of the mansion. 
Carlsforde was an Imposing structure. It had 
originally consisted of the tower already mention¬ 
ed and a square block of buildings, to which In the 
Elizabethan age considerable additions had been 
made, Irregular la their shape and very pictur¬ 
esque; but neglect had made sad havoc. The 
stonework must have been decaying tor years, and 
nothing had been done to arrest It. Even to the 
unpractical eye of Noel several portions of the wall 
looked positively unsafe, and, If lert in their pres¬ 
ent state much longer, would require taking down 
and rebuilding, It was grievous to see so fine a 
place In this condition; the grass-grown avenues, 
the wood-choked parterres, the molderlng gate¬ 
ways, and crumbling doors and casement frames, 
giving It the ab- of having been untenanted for 
many years. 
The deserted, uncared-for appearance of the 
house was so depressing, that ere long the young 
man was glad to return to the library, which Lord 
cartsforde’s affection for his books had Induced 
him to keep in somet hing more like repair. 
Here he found plenty to amuse aDd employ him 
till a message from Mrs. Estcourt summoned him 
to her presence, she was dressed, aud sitting In 
an arm-chair by the window, yet In answer to 
his hope, that she felt sufficiently recovered to re¬ 
turn to town at once, fretfully protested that she 
felt, worse than on the previous day. 
“ But 1 did not send for you to speak of myself,” 
she added, beckoning him to draw nearer. “ 1 have 
seen .Miss carlsforde. Yes, she has been here, and 
1 have pleaded your cause well and boldly.” 
“Aly cause!” cried Noel, knitting his brows. 
“Surely you have not led her to think that 1 com¬ 
plain of her father's will." 
“ i told her tho plain truth: that it was her duty 
to give up the property to you; that she could not, 
In common Justice, act In any other way. Is It 
your fault that some extravagant ancestor alien¬ 
ated It? Are you not the rightful heir? and have 
we not been scandalously deceived about lc? Now 
don’t look at me in that manner, Noel, some one 
must fight your battles for you If you haven’t spirit 
enough to do it yourself. You know very well 
that If you were left alone you are simpleton 
enough to go back to town as poor a man as you 
left It!” 
“ I wish to heavens 1 had not listened to the doc¬ 
tors ; but put you Into the fly and carried you away 
last evening," retorted the Incensed Noel. “ How 
could you make such a coarse—such an Inexcusa¬ 
ble attack on the feelings of this poor girl: or how 
could you Imagine that, even If she were willing to 
relinquish her rights at. your dictation, I should 
take advantage of her Inexperience and generos¬ 
ity?” 
“ You talk romance, whilst I practise common 
sense," his step-mother replied. “ if I contrive to 
make good terms for you. I suppose you will be 
grateful?” 
‘-What do you mean by good terms?" asked 
Noel, seornrully. “ Do you forget that guardians 
are named In the viscount’s will, who will take 
care that Miss Carlsforde Is neither teased nor 
persuaded Into any follies? Did she not remind 
you of this?” 
•• She scarcely spoke; she only cried, and wished 
her papa had bequeathed this hateful money to 
anyone but her. Anyhow, Noel, I am sure I con¬ 
trived to prepossess her in your favor. It you 
could but make up yovir mind to marry her 1 It 
seems madness (o tllng away such prospects.” 
“Does It?” said her stepson, dryly. “Do you 
think I f my father had lived, he would have sanc¬ 
tioned an act so mean—so base as the wedding of 
this poor young creature solely for her money ? 
Pray hear before you Interrupt me, Mrs. Estcourt. 
It may save both of us some trouble If I make my 
intentions clear to you at once. Your Interference 
Is useless. I will do nothing of which my con¬ 
science disapproves. The few hundreds that. Mr. 
Wbttely tells me I can claim, I will immediately 
make over to you; with these you must be satis¬ 
fied ; for 1 have resolved to leave England." 
*• Of course, any addition to our Income will be 
acceptable, although this Is very little compared 
with what I expected from you.” murmured Airs. 
Estcourt, with her handkerchief to her eyes. 
•‘ Irene la so careless with her clothes, and the 
boys are beginning to be frightfully expensive, 
that. I’m afraid I cannot do much with a few hun¬ 
dreds. especially as one must live In something 
like style now you have succeeded to a title. IIow 
much per annum will It really be ?” 
She was beginning to find consolation in her 
prospects, as Noel had predicted that she would. 
“ I will tell you more particulars when I have 
seen Mr. Whltely again," he answered, briefly. 
“ What time can you he ready to accompany me 
home ?” 
Mrs. Estcourt cast a ruetul glance at the weather. 
“Not to-night, Noel. It rains; the wind Is ris¬ 
ing, and 1—I can’t, hear’ the Jolting of a railway- 
carriage while my nerves are In this state." 
“Then I must go without you. I cannot and 
will not remain in this house any longer. Aliss 
Carlsforde may think 1 am In league with you to 
annoy her.” 
“ i never was spoken to In this manner, not even 
by your, papa," whimpered Mrs. Estcourt. “It’s 
downright unfeeling to propose dragging me away 
on such an evening. It would be the death of me, 
and then my poor children would be orphans.” 
*• pray say no more,” interposed the vexed Noel, 
who saw that she was on the verge of hysterics, 
•• I should he sorry to treat you with any lack of 
consideration. Only promise that you will not at¬ 
tempt to have any more interviews with Miss Oar- 
Isforde. to whom 1 shall make your excuses and 
my own, and l will defer our departure until eleven 
o’clock to-morrow morning; hut not a moment 
later. You will he ready ?” 
ills step-mother sullenly assented, and Noel 
wcmL away to pen a polite note to AHss Cartsrorde, 
merely thanking her for her hospitality, and stat¬ 
ing that he and Mrs. Estcourt proposed leaving 
the Park by an early train on the following day, 
signing himself, with best wishes, her obliged 
kinsman, etc. 
This done, he set himself to while away the re¬ 
mainder of the day as best he could. Mrs. Hurst 
did not return; doubtless she was In attendance 
on her niece, and he dined alone, returning as soon 
as the cloth was removed to the library. As the 
night closed in the wind rose to a hurricane, 
whirling and eddying around the old house till Us 
roar was aLmost. deafening. Once or twice Noel 
opened a shutter, and looked out; hut the dark¬ 
ness was so Intense that he could see nothing but 
the glimmer of a lamp In the windows of an apart¬ 
ment In the tower, to which the housekeeper had 
pointed as occupied by her young mistress. 
Returning to fits seat, he endeavored to forget 
the storm In t he pages of a favorite author; hut he 
was unable. The rattling of the casements aud 
the moaning of the blast continually disturbed 
him, for mingling with these sounds he seemed to 
hear others; the sobs or a woman at no great dis¬ 
tance, aud the rolling of carriage wheels, as If. de¬ 
spite the lateness of the hour, visitors were arriv¬ 
ing. 
At last, he could not retrain from opening the 
door or the library to ascertain whether a carriage 
had actually approached the house; but all was so 
still, that, half-ashamed of the tricks ms Imagina¬ 
tion was playing him, he snatched up his book 
once more, determined to concentrate his atten¬ 
tion upon It; but studying became Impossible, 
when a conviction stole over him that he was not 
alone; that in a distant comer of the room, to 
which the lamp hanging above Ills head did not 
penetrate, a shadowy figure was standing—a fe¬ 
male figure with glittering eyes that watched him 
with unwavering Intensity. 
CHAPTER VII. 
TUB STORM INCREASES. 
Noel—Lord Carlsfqrde—was as brave as most 
men, but to sit quietly reading while the wind was 
raging tempestuously around the house, and some 
voiceless shape hovered In the obscurity, was more 
than she could do. Starting from his seat, he 
crossed the room to where the figure stood ; hut It 
vanished as he approached—vanished so suddenly 
and utterly, that he was confounded, especially 
as he could find no door by which this person could 
have escaped him. Still he felt convinced that 
somewhere In this part of the library there must 
be another and carefully hidden mode of egress, 
for a current of air swept across Uls face as he 
drew near, such as would be created by the sudden 
closing of one. 
Confounded by so strange a circumstance, he 
returned lo Ills seat, but not to read. It was pos¬ 
sible that Miss Carlsforde had been seized with a 
curiosity to behold tUe man who had been selected 
by her most eccentric parent as her bridegroom, 
and had resorted to this manner of gratifying it: 
but it so, liow odd—how peculiar. Neither was it 
pleasant to find himself the object of a scrutiny 
Indulged in this manner ; and so distasteful did 
the apartment become In which he was liable to 
be stolen upon at any moment, that Noel would 
have rung for a candle, and retired to his chamber, 
If the fury of the blast had not only rendered 
sleep an Impossibility, but reminded him more 
forcibly than agreeably of the ruinous state of 
several parts of the mansion. 
Presently a terrified maid-servant appeared to 
beg his lordship to go to Mrs. Estcourt, who had 
been so alarmed by some bricks falling down the 
chiimiey of the room she occupied, that she was 
screaming for him, and could not be persuaded 
that she was in no danger. 
When Noel reached his step-mother's chamber, 
he found Mrs. Hurst with her, as well as the 
housekeeper; both were essaying to convince her 
that she was as sare in bed as she would be In the 
cellar, to which she was begging them to conduct 
her, but with no more success than usually at¬ 
tends efforts to reason with a most unreasonable 
woman. 
“ I’ll not say that I think the tower quite safe,” 
the housekeeper confided to Noel, “ for there were 
some gentlemen here a little while ago—engineers 
and surveyors they were—who came to see my 
lord about a railway that Is to cross a part of the 
property, and I heard them saying something about 
Its Insecure condition. 1 wish Miss carlsforde 
could have been persuaded to leave it till the gale 
Is over. And she is quite alone, too.” 
“ Have you told her your fears, and begged her to 
exchange her present quarters for safer ones ?” 
asked Noel, a little startled by these tidings. “ If 
not, pray go to her at once.” 
Ure. Martin shrugged her shoulders and tossed 
her head, as she answered In acrimonious tones: 
“ I have told Airs, nurst, sir—my lord, I ve made 
her understand : and indeed It’s no light task to 
have to write down everything you want to say, 
but there’s no help for It, as Miss Cartsforde don’t 
give any directions, or hold any communication 
with me, except Ihrough this person. It’s not 
what I’ve been accustomed to, and I’ve always 
lived in the best of families, and know how things 
ought to be ; and I certainly don't Intend to stay 
here If I can’t take my orders from my lady di¬ 
rect.’’ 
Leaving the housekeeper to ruminate over her 
offended dignity, Noel drew out his pocket-book, 
and wrote on a page of It the query : 
“ Should not Miss Carlsforde be prevailed upon 
to quit the tower till the storm Is over ? I am in¬ 
formed that it is considered unsafe. Has she been 
made aware of this ?” 
Mrs. Hurst read these lines, and her comely face 
assumed an anxious expression as she laid he fore¬ 
finger on Noel's arm. 
“ It Is very thoughtful of you, my lord, and if 
persuasions would move her she would be here at 
this present moment; for, as I said when 1 was re¬ 
monstrating with her. If we must perish through 
being burled alive under bricks and mortar, and 
nobody at hand to dig us out directly — which 
might be effectual—why not let us die together ?— 
which Is rather unusual when one comes to think 
of it, being burled first and dying afterwards; but 
In this life we are always meeting with curious 
contrasts, or undergoing something, aren’t we ? 
And she is that obstinate this evening, you cannot 
think 1 Nothing to he got from her but a kiss, and 
‘ Do leave me to myself!’ and no sooner outside 
the door than the key turned, and so how can 1 get 
at her ?” 
•• Does she undei-stand her danger?” wrote Noel 
again. 
*• Aly dear sir. I’ve shouted It—literally shouted 
It to her through the keyhole. What more can I 
do? She sent me away, Insisted on my going ; 
| and though she Is a dear child, and t am very fond 
I of her, and haven’t a word to say that isn't. In her 
pralse—meutally. of course—lor she has been a 
most promising pupil, aud for her external appear- 1 
ance 1 cannot be considered answerable beyond 
sunburn, and the care of her teeth In child¬ 
hood, can I ? Let’s see, where was 1 ? Oh: speak¬ 
ing In her praise- which I can do conscientiously, 
but with the reservation of temper, which cer¬ 
tainly does Incline to firmness, and that is not 
always a valuable quality, as I remember telling 
her when she refused to touch food for two days 
because she had forgotten to give her canary some 
seed, and It was starved. She was quite 111 In con¬ 
sequence, and would not he pitied, which was a 
great anxiety to me,” 
Overwhelmed by the flow of words which his 
question had brought upon him, Noel said no 
more. 
If Miss Carlsforde so positively retosed to be ad¬ 
vised. nothing could be done but hope that her 
retreat would escape any damage from the storm, 
and lie returned to ihe task of pacifying his step¬ 
mother. she—though fortified with camphor, 
smelling salts, and weak brandy-and-water—still 
shrieked, hid her face in the bed-clothes, and 
moaned out thrilling predictions that she should 
never see her children again, every rime the wind 
put forth its force and howled its loudest along 
the corridors. 
Presently there was a lull, aud everyone was 
thankful fur it. Airs. Estcourt’s eyes insensibly 
closed -, the tired housekeeper remembered that it 
was after midnight, and went away to send her 
maids to their needful rest. Mrs. Hurst disap¬ 
peared also ; and Noel, after slipping some of his 
111-to-be spared silver Into the hand of the woman 
