Lord Ormont and his Aminta, v1

the street of Lord Ormont's London house, to pre

nd he thought it singular. But for the previous introduction to Lady Charlotte

a vein through circumstances, as a travelling run of flame darts the seeming haphazard zigzags to catch at the dry of dead wood amid the damp; and when passion has

eels: one of the lovers of life, beautiful to behold, when we spy into them; generally their aspect is an enlivenment, whatever may be the carving of their features. For the sake of holy unity, this lover of life, whose gaze was to the front in hungry animation, held fast to his young dreams, perceiving a soul of meaning in them, though the fi

ntemporary opinion, stamped excellent, or have been pushed by the roar of contemporaneous applauses to wear the leather-and-gilt uniform of our Immortals, until a more qualmish posterity disgorges them. The books had costly bindings. Lord Ormont's treatment of Literature appeared to resemble Lady Charlotte's, in being reverential and uninquiring. The books she bought to read were Memoirs of her time by dead men and women once known to her. These did fatigue duty in c

ing the doorway. He had seen at Olmer Lady Charlotte's treasured miniature portrait of her brother;

ng man felt while observing for himself. Height and build of body were such as might be expected in the brother of

l attitude he must needs enact. His curt nick of the head, for a response to the visitor's formal salutation, si

contracted area: "I hear from Mr. Abner that you have m

kindly gave me a

You lost him at Toulouse. We were in the Peninsula;

ere young at th

r's troops to respect a

their fox to set

ndicated a ch

ders," Weyburn said, for cover t

assalle, Bessieres. Unde

ot at home in the

excitement too high. When cool, they're among the bes

he same of Seidl

" The injured warrior frowned and hummed. He spoke his thought mildly: "Jealousy of the name of soldier in this country! Out of the service, is the place to recommend. I'd have advised a son of mine to train for a jockey rath

dy went to the armchair. She took her seat, as she had moved, with sedateness, the exchan

they are snubbed by the heads; in war they are abused by the country. They

the lady's title; continuing: "A young man of military tastes should take service abroad. They're in earnest about it over there. Here they pl

ra, my

's omissions. All the country cares for is to hope Dick Turpin may get to York. Our men are good beasts; they give the best in

ed likeness under excitement to Lady Charlotte. Excitement came at an early call of their voices to both; and both had handsome, open features, bluntly cut, nothing of aquiline or the supercilious; eyes bluish-grey, in arched recesses,

asion of military topics, the silence of the lady

gateways for his return look, and can seem in pursuit of thoughts while they enfold. They were large dark eyes, eyes of southern night. They sped

. He was interested besides, as he told a ruffled consci

is attention. There was a memory: that was all he knew. Or else he would have lashed himself for

to the gross retort, that her eyes were beautiful. And be knew them-there lay th

bitterness, with these large dark eyes in his house, for his own? Eyes like these are the beginning of a young man's world; they nerve, inspire, arm him, colour his life; he would labour, fight, die for them. It seemed to Weyburn a blessedness even to behold them. So it had been with him at the early stage; and his heart

stical curve of the lids. For so they could look only because t

one might guess; she could hardly be interested in talk of soldiering and of foreign army systems,

The street was a banishment and a relief when We

t no gilded figure. We gather heroes as we go, if we are among the growing: our constancy is shown in the not discar

r. How did that lady of night's ey

s; and, if his glory bespells her, so that she flings all to the winds for him, burns the world; if, for solely the desperate rapture of belonging to him, she consents of her free

cial peril of the young lover of life, that an inflammability to beauty in women is in a breath intense with him. He is, in truth, a thinly-sealed volcano of our imperishable ancient father; and has it in him to be the multitudinously-amorous of the mythologic Jove. Give him he

the music of sonorous bra

the man who takes advanta

Ormont justice, and argued the case

rate short nod to him at his leave-taking, and the toneless few words she threw to my

Aminta had, the self-collected and self-cancelled look, a realm in a look, that was neither depth nor fervour, nor a bestowal, nor an allurement; nor was it an exposure, though there seemed no reserve. One would be near the meaning in

lder sister of Aminta. But Weyburn wanted to have her position defined before he set her beside Aminta. He writhed under Lady Charlotte's toleratin

y's installation; as if-if one might dare to guess

on table. She came into the room a step, to speak

tary was

tary had made a mistake, and that he would have committed a greater error in becoming a soldier-"in this country." A man with a grievance is

when he raised them; gave him no home in hers-not a temporary shelter

was round him, like the hills of a valley. She was round his thoughts- ca

er look on him was foreign; a civil smile as they conversed. She was very much at home with my lord, whom she rallied for his addiction to his Club at a particular hour of the afternoon. She co

s in a worn dispatch-box, pen and pencil jottings tossed to swell the mess when they had relieved an angry r

d searched, merely to quiet his annoyance for having left those sheets of

It was she, and she acknowledged his

ord Ormont had an enga

k very well." She

a preparation for conjurer's tricks at cards; refraining from a glan

d he knew Aminta in h

renat still

at the points of unlikeness between his young Aminta and this tall and