The First Violin

ce méchant mascarade q

s on their other side, facing the river which ran below, and down to which their gardens sloped in terraces. Our house, the vicarage, lay nearest the church; Miss Hallam's house, the Grange, furthest from the church. Be

was a man of immense property, and report said that Deeplish Hall, which we innocent villagers looked upon as such an imposing mansion, was but one and not the grandest of his several country houses. All that I

er-so much was known as a fact-had become Lady Le Marchant: was not her monument in the church between the Deeplish Hall and the Hallam Grange pews? Was not the tale of her virtues and her years-seven-and-twenty only did she count of the latter-there recorded? That Barbara Hallam had been married to Sir Peter was matter of history: what was not matter of history, but of tradition which was believed in quite as firmly, was that the baronet had ill-treated his wife-in what way was not distinctly specified, but I have since learned that it was true; she was a gentle creature, and he made her life miserable unto her. She was idolized by her elder sister, who, burning with indignation at the treatment to which her darling had been subjected, had become, even in disposition, an altered woman. From a cheerful, open-hearted, generous, somewhat

t Deeplish Hall, that these dry bones of tradition had for me quickene

ner, he had eyed over Adelaide and me in a manner which I do not think either of us had ever experienced before. I hated him from the moment in which I saw him looking at me with expression of approval. To be approved by Sir Peter Le Marchant, could fate devise anything more horrible? Yes, I knew now that it could; one might have to submit to the approval, to live in the approval. I had expressed my opinion on the subject with freedom to Adelaide, who to my surprise had not agreed with me, and had told me coldly that I had no business to speak disrespectfully of my father's visitors. I was silenced, but unhappy. From the first moment of seeing Sir Peter, I had felt an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling, which, had I been sentimental, I might have called a presentiment, but I was not sentimental. I was a healthy young girl of seventeen, believing in true love, and goodness, and gentleness very earnestly;

music, to entertain him with conversation?-and she could talk. She was unlike me in that respect. I never had a brilliant gift of conversation. She was witty about the things she did know, and never committed the fatal mistake of pretending to be up in the things she did not know. These gifts of mind, these social powers, were always ready for the edification of Sir Peter. By degrees the truth forced itself upon me. Some one said-I overheard it-that "that handsome Miss Wedderburn was undoubtedly setting her cap at Sir Peter Le Marchant." Never shall I forget the fury which at first possessed me, th

ad lost zest for me, and was become a burden to me. The knowledge that Sir Peter admired me absolutely degraded me in my own eyes. I felt as if I could not hold up my head. I had spoken

tion; Stella from a stroll by the river. We had tea, and they dispersed quite cheerfully to their various occupations. I, seeing the gloaming gently and dim falling over the earth, walked out of the house into the garden, and too

postrophized me. "Do listen to

scanning mentally the list of my acquaintance, I found that there was not one in whom I could confide. It gave me a strange

It was a fine old place. The sheen of the glass houses caught the rays of the sun and glanced in them. It looked rich, old, and peaceful. I had been many a time through its gardens, and thought

rrow path leading across a sort of No-Man's-Land into the demesne of Sir Peter Le Marchant. In my trouble I scarcely rema

had, and

hich I felt myself caught, when a shadow darkened the twilight in w

dderburn. Are you enjo

he least. I felt that here was a crisis. This meeting would show me whether my fears had been groundless, and my own vanity and s

onversing with me for a short time, did, in clear and unmistaka

ce with my hands, and run shuddering away from him. "I tha

here was something that turned my heart cold within me-a cool, sneering tone, which not all his professions of affection could disguise. Since that time I have heard Sir Peter explicitly state his conception of the sphere of woman in the world; it was not an exalted one. He could not even now quite conceal that while he told me he wished to make me his wife and the

ved them to be clever actresses, and, taken all in all, the best kind of amusement to be had for money. The kind of opinion was then new to

Sir Peter understand that no earthly power should induce me to marry him; till I had let him

wn; had it been more angry I should have feared it less-"do you fear oppos

, and a hand seemed to tighte

to my parents. In such a

the same

he same,

me with the same cold, snake-like smile. "I will not be guilty of such a solecism. Your fami

of the question, as coming from him, I repl

f so disinterested a person as yourself. A different disposition,

d the peculiar evil light in his eyes, I yet went through with my duty to th

ing, Miss

lderment, I too turned slowly away and walked to the house again. I felt, I knew I had be