The House on the Beach: A Realistic Tale

h dinner and joke shall seem to have been at somebody else's expense. Young Fellingham was treated rudely by Van Diemen Smith, and with some cold reserve by Annette

of them. So his visits to

land, haunted Mr. Fellingham; being conjured up by contrast with what he met about him. But shall a girl who would impose upon us

to be at a public ball at Helmstone in the Winter season, and who but Annette herself came whirling before him on the arm of an officer! Fellingham did not miss his chance of talking to her. She greeted him gaily, and speaking with the exciteme

een with you,"

ou had,"

ho could be submissive to Mrs. Cavely, and danced with any number of officers, and had no idea save of running incessantly over England in the pursuit of pl

and his whimsical vagrancies and feeling he had a pos

ove into the Hall after Christmas. We are at the Crouch at present. Papa will be sure to

ve him for it,"

a gentle pressure on the finger

rior of Annette's parentage, and such is the sentiment of a better blood that

rniture for Elba Hall. Mrs. Crickledon had no scruple in saying, that Mrs. Cavely meant her brother to inhabit the Hall, though Mr. Smith had outbid him in the purchase. According to her

e streets famous for furniture warehouses, in the

avour, he wrote a lo

ight love him was through the reflection that no one stood in the

her father for the purport of his visit. If otherwise, she was to in

not in love. She was only not unwilling to be in love. And Fellingham w

lba at a high valuation, and Tinman had expected by waiting to buy it at his own valuation, and sell it out of friendly consideration to his friend afterwards, for a friendly consideration. Van Diemen had joined the hunt. Tinman could not mount a horse. They had not quarrelled, but they had snapped about these and other affairs. Van Diemen fancied Tinman was jealous of his wealth. Tinman shrewdly suspected Van Diemen to be contemptuous of his dignity. He suffered a loss in a loan of money; and instead of pitying him,

tte had rather fervently dramatized the young man's words at the ball at Helmstone, which had pleasantly tickled him, and, besides, he liked the young man. On the other hand, he did not at all like the prospect of losin

id Van Diemen, more disposed i

resque, relent enough to let him hope, and so bring about a happy postponement of the question. Her father had been to a neighbouring town on business with Mr. Tinman. He knocked at her door at midnight; and she, in dread of she knew not what-chiefly that the Hour of the Scene had somehow struck-stepped out to him trembling. He was alone. She thought herself the most childish of mortals in supposing that she could have been summoned at midnight to declar

ffering her to lead him into her sitting-room;

e are r

the Continent, or we might go to America; we've money.

ca!" exclaimed the en

love living i

d. Mart Tinman and I have been at tooth and claw to-day and half the night; and he has thrown

ap

ked hi

tte, "has Mr. Ti

ed me a

te shu

of horrors, and she touched her father timidly, to assure him of her con

riton, is, I did not desert before the enemy. That I swear I never would have done. Death, if death's in front; but your poor mother was a handsome woman, my child, and there-I could not go on living in barracks and leaving her unprotected. I can't tell a young woman the tale.

inman's, out of pity, after I've undergone my punishment. There's a year still to run out of the twenty of my term of service due. He knows it; he's been reckoning; he has me. But the worst cat-o'-nine-tails for me is the disgrace. To have

dic cough with a blow on his

on board the ship with your poor mother; but you're a young woman now, and you must help me to think of anothe

see I can understand if I try. Will nothing-Is he so very angry? Can we not do something to pacify him? He is fond of money. He-oh, the thought of leaving England! Papa, it wi

man!" he said. "You stick to your game, I know that; but you'll find me flown, though I leave a name to stink like your common behind me

be exiled," said Annette. "I will do any

the house on the beach while he was chaffering, and then I sold it him at a rise when the town was looking up-only to make him see. Then he burst up ab

ette repeated-"sure I

nm

ll be silent if you'll pledge your word to marry him. I'm not sure he didn't say, within the year. I told him to look sharp not to be knocked down again. Mart Ti

lady, passing into her bedchamber in the hours of darkness, beholds-tradition telling us she has absolutely beheld foot of burglar under bed; and lo! she stares, and, cunningly to moderate her horror, doubts, yet cannot but believe that there is a leg, and a trunk, and a head, and two terrible arms, bearing pistols, to follow. Sic

plan of escape from another single mention of it. But on her father's remarking, with a shuffle, frightened by her countenance, "Don't listen to what I said, Netty. I won't paint him blacker than he is"-then

ou told Mr. Tinman I was

Netty! They say he's been rejected all round a circuit of fifteen miles; and he's not bad-looking, neither-he looks fresh and fair.

yed her familiar sweetness in persuading him to go to bed,