Red Pottage

le il faut vivre loi

urther notice of its existence. Yet the Drone is a local celebrity in Middleshire, and, like most local celebrities, is unknown elsewhere. The squire's sons have lost immense trout in the Drone as it saunters through their lands, and most of them have duly earned thereby the distinction (in Middleshire) of being the be

ut in comfortable curves and twists innumerable through the length and breadth of the green country till it reaches Warpington, whose church is so near the stream that in time of flood the water hitches all kinds of things it has no further use for among the gr

h its trees at the church like a fond wife at her husband. Indeed, so like had she become to him that she had even developed a tiny

ading the morning service to Mrs. Gresley and to a young thrush, which was hurling its person, like an inexperienced bicyclist, now against Lazarus and his grave-clothes, now against the l

, beak agape, into the open air, Mr. Gresley and his wife walked through the church-yard-with its one

may not have done so. Mr. Gresley, with his long, thin nose and his short upper lip and tall, well-set-up figure, bore on his whole personality the stamp of that for wh

the perfect gentleman, and some of which, thank Heaven! the "gentleman born" frequently lacks. Whether he had them or not

s hinted that both fanatic and saint were fighting for predominance in the kingdom of that pinched brain, the narrowness of which the sloping forehead betokened with such cruel plain

man's wife, and the depressing fact that she seemed always wearing out old finery. Perhaps her devotion to her husband had served to prolon

vicarage, with their own sponges hanging out of their upper windows, and their offsp

duty to speak to Hester about attending early service.

ant and callous nature. But we must remember, my love, that Aunt Susan was most lax in all her views, and we must make allowance for Hester, who lived with her till last year. It is only natural that Hester, b

ained high note which knew no cessation until objection or opposition ceased. As she came towards them, she heard with perfect distinctness what he was saying, but it did not trouble her. Hester was gifted with imagination, and imagination does not find it difficult to read by the shorthand of the expressions and habitual opinions and repressions of others what they occasionally say at

g will was obvious. But there the likeness ended. Hester's figure was slight, and she stooped a little. Hester's eyes were very gentle, very appealing under their long, curled lashes. They were sad, too, as Mr. Gresley's never were, gay as his never were. An infinite

er clean holland gown, held in at the waist with a broad lilac ribbo

ess-maker informed her had "to be kept down," made a me

n cut out body and mind with a sharp pair of scissors. Her irregular profile, her delicate, pointed speech and fingers, her manner of picking up her slender feet as she walked, her quick, alert m

the hottest day we have had yet. And the letter-bag is so fat that I could hardly refrain

extracted her own letters. She never did it a second time. On the contrary, she begged pardon in real regret at having given such deep offence to her brother and his wife, and in astonishment

candalized, "I am sure you won't mind my sayi

t till the evening, and you always say you never

to look at it," said Mrs. Gresley, with a great exercise of patience. She had heard He

hese two flagrant blunders were sufficient for her. She grasped the principle that those who have a great love of power and little scope for it must necessarily exercise i

s he opened the bag and dealt out the contents into three heaps. Hest

orning's correspondence-namely, a list of Pryce Jones-"that you care to write so many letters, Hester

nt.' I told Edwards I would not allow him to put it in his next number of the Southminster Advertiser until I had glanced a

and was taking a cup of coffee from Mrs. Gresley.

t will be just in your line. You might run it over after breakfast," he continued, in high good-humor, "and put in the

assurance that she was "good" at punctuation and spelling. It gave the would-be author a comfortable feeling that, after all, he was onl

ester, dryly. "I am so shaky on both myself. You had better ask t

He wanted Hester's opinion, of which she was perfec

e was overlooked. She had helped Mr. Gresley with

nuscript last week," he said. "You

as asked to criticise th

I don't want an argument about it. If you'll come into

admiration. She had tried a hundred times to get the bett

hat she is returning to Wilderleigh at the end of the week, and that the sale of work may take p

ation was really beyond anything I can describe to you. I thought my poor brain would turn. I was quite afraid to join in. But Mr. Harvey-the great Mr. Harvey-told me afterwards I was at my best. One lady, Miss Barker, who has done so much for the East End, is coming down to Wilderleigh shortly f

aps have said, 'The writer is a friend of mine. I must stand up for

nster if she was to be thus ignored in her own house, "I can't think how you can allow yo

id Hester, rising with the others. "You must forgive

g Hester's figure with affectionate solicit

I know she is never about if the Pratt girls call to see her before luncheon. Yet when I ran up to her room yesterday morning to ask her to take Mary's

an make allowance for the artistic temperament. I share it

to blame for making so much of her. Have you never noticed how different she is when he is here, so gay

n)-"she seemed gradually to lose interest in conversation. Yet I have heard the Bishop speak of her as a brilliant talker. And Lord Newhaven asked me last spring how I l

something disagreeable. Don't you remember, when you were thinking of exchanging Warpington for that Scotch living, he said he knew

ster, through the open window.