CHOLMONDELEY'S CURE.

BY F

His Irish estate never cost Hon. years in England without ever conGeorge Barrisford Cholmondeley a cerning himself about Brantam Castle second thought while he was at Oxford. or Ballygavin as they called the His drafts on Needham and Pierce Cholmondeley domain. Now, however, of Dublin were always honored; and that he had attained his majority and so long as the honorable George was bidden the musty university halls a able to bet ad libitum and support willing if not very cordial farewell, he a half-dozen spruce sycophants in was advised by his friends and welljockeys' caps, what did it matter to him wishers, of whom he had quite a host, where the money came from. True, to look after his affairs in Ireland for he remembered that his grandmother, a month or two and be back in the dowager Lady Cholmondeley, née London in time for "the season." McTeigue, now superannuated and So George took to himself as a half-doting, had been accustomed to travelling companion Ensign Vallance tell him of Brantam Castle and the of the Guards, who happened to be off troops of gentlefolk who used to assem- duty, crossed the Channel one gusty ble there on occasion to hunt the fox day in a high condition of unpleasantand sweep across the great braes and ness, reached Dublin two days later, over the hedges on the fleetest of and hied hence by train to Ballygavin. thorough-breds. And he had faint The coming of the Hon. George Barrisrecollections of odd stories the old lady ford Cholmondeley had been announced used to tell about the tenantry, and bits at Brantam Castle, and the old family of injunctions she liked to give him carriage, which had enjoyed a dozen about how he should behave when years of idleness, was furbished up and called to the management of the sent down to receive the estated gentleCholmondeley domain. But that was man under the conduct of some half all. He had been born in Brighton, score self-constituted coachmen "and brought up in Grosvenor Square, postilions. George and his companion schooled at Eton, and plucked at stared in amazement at the odd group Oxford. His father, who had been which collected around them, bowing the third or fourth Honorable George and scraping with an energy that in lineal descent from Lord Guilford tickled the young land-owner's vanity. Cholmondeley, died while he was yet a "Come here, you fellaw," said he to boy, and so the young absentee had one of the group; "do you know the lived every day of his twenty-two way to Brantam Castle?"

"Is it know the way t' the castle | bobbing up and down in it, did they yer honor 'ud be axin. Throth, Mickey have an opportunity of exchanging Doyle 'ud be a quare crathur if he their impressions.

blessed "Vallance," said the Honorable Shure George, "how do you find the country?"

didn't know the road t' the
spot he was born and bred in.
we've come t' fetch your honor there.
The coach is beyant." Then, raising
his voice and violently gesticulating,
"Dhrive up, Tim Murphy," he cried,
"dhrive up! His honor's waitin' for
ye, Tim."

"Beastly, Cholmondeley; beastly, by Jove!" And the ensign, taking Honorable George's arm, paced with him up the stone steps into the hall, and thence to an old and very frowzy parlor, where the steward and resident manager of the estate received them.

Thus adjured Tim Murphy came grandly through the crowd, mounted on the box of the old state coach, with Mr. Duffield was a short, sallow the reins of four steeds evidently of man, with a shrewd look in his gray vulgar pedigree clutched in his hand, eyes, and some hard lines about the and with a great coat which a half-mouth. He had for years superindozen glaring brass buttons was sup-tended affairs at Ballygavin, under the posed to convert into a livery. advice and direction of Messrs. Need"I say, Cholmondeley," said Ensign ham and Pierce, and was reputed to Vallance, "I say, does n't this equi- be a sharp business man among his page strike you as partaking largely of city friends. The tenantry called him the antique?" by another and perhaps a more appropriate name; "Grinding Duffield” was this appellation.

Mr. Duffield had for the time being, however, laid aside whatever semblance of a grinding disposition he could bear about his person, and he seemed to all intents and purposes a quiet, good

"Pon my soul, Vallance, I don't know what to make out of the place. What do the savages mean by staring so?" Then, aloud, "My good fellaws, I want to go to Brantam Castle. You understand. And be expeditious. Vewy!" And the Honorable George entered humored, gentlemanly body, full of the vehicle, the coachmen and footmen, and the rest of the crowd, fell into their self-assumed positions, and the old state coach rolled off on a very uneven and unpleasant road.

kind attentions for the honorable George and flattering courtesies for his military friend.

"And pray, Mr. Duffield," said the young proprietor as they sat over their wine, "pray, Mr. Duffield, how do you find my tenantry? Are they happy and satisfied with their condition? I would not wish to see the poor fellows hard pressed, I really would not."

The visitors had so much to do to preserve their equanimity amid the joltings and shakings they were exposed to, that conversation for the time was out of the question, and only when they reached the castle and He said this with some warmth, for alighted in front of a big, gaping door- the kind-hearted reception he had met way, with a group of ogling domestics with touched him.

"My dear sir," Mr. Duffield an- | conducted the two young men to their swered him, in a sycophantic tone of rooms. voice, not unmixed however with a cer- Notwithstanding the fatigue of the tain air of authority; "my dear sir, previous day, George Cholmondeley I have done my best to attend to your awoke early to find the first sunlight of interests, and be worthy of the kind the morning streaming into his room consideration you have shown me. through the heavy curtains. All was And in pursuance of this purpose I quiet in the castle, but outside, a have always endeavored to give your thousand tiny voices were piping their tenants every privilege consistent with matin hymns among the branches. the welfare of the estate. They are, I can assure you, well content with their lot, and in far better condition than most of their neighbors."

"A very uncouth set of people, aren't they?" Ensign Vallance here inquired, though in a tone which made it evident that he entertained no doubts whatever on that point.

He arose and looked out over the park and down along the avenue of lordly trees that guarded the approaches to the grand old pile. Beyond these he saw green hills and yellow fields of corn and barley dim and indistinct in the blue mists of the morning. All about him seemed prosperous and pleasant. For a moment the thought came

"Yes, somewhat. But not more into the young man's mind that all these than ordinarily so."

"You have no-an-no agrarian outrages-assassinations and such, you know?" the military gentleman asked with a degree of interest.

blooming acres were his own, this lordly mansion, this spacious park, and the hills and fields, with the little white houses he saw on them—all his own. Surely it was worth one's while attend"No;" and the steward smiled as he ing to them. Surely he should know answered him. "The days for mur- more about those big, warm-hearted ders and assasinations are past. We creatures who flocked to meet him have the strong arm of the law in con- yesterday. A dim sense of his respondition now, and the peasantry do not sibility flitted through his brain. But think-no, sir, do not dare to think-in a moment it was succeeded and obof openly opposing authority. We are literated by a gay, giddy memory of no burglars here, gentlemen. We have London life which then occurred to him. the people under our thumb." Care sat lightly on the on the young man's thoughts, he scarcely knew what it meant. He was turning from the window when suddenly sounds of an altercation arose below.

Mr. Duffield spoke a little warmly. There was a hard, steely ring about his words, and the lines about his mouth puckered up into an expression of conscious power-it might be of cruelty.

"I should like to see the place tomorrow," said the proprietor as he rose to retire.

"Begone, sir," cried a voice which he at once recognized as the steward's; "begone, I say, and if you haven't every shilling for me day after to"I shall attend to your orders, sir," morrow-every shilling, mind yousaid Mr. Duffield, and he obsequiously out you'll go."

"But, Misther Duffield," the other | the door which had been closed in his voice expostulated, "you know I face, and then, with a heart-breaking was down wid the faver, and sorra sob, he sat down on the moist ground, hand's turn was I able t' do all this and folding the long, thin arms above blessed time. The wife has wrought his chest began to ponder and mutter herself t' death, and not a bite has her- to himself. The anguish of his mind

self or the childre' had since you sent Dannie Logan t' sarve the notice on us. Misther Duffield, give me a little time. God knows I don't mane t' desaive you nor wrong any man out of a fardin'. I'll pay you, sir, the first fi' pun note I live to make. As God's above me, I will."

"Curse your long tongue," said the steward's hard, sharp voice again; "curse your prating. Will you be off, or will you wait till I set the dogs on you? Do not come to me with your lies. Tell them to Daniel Logan if you choose. But all I tell you is to have every farthing for me to-morrow or you'll not have a roof above you long."

was painted on his face. George Cholmondeley had never seen anything half so terrible.

Just then a step sounded on the gravel walk, and along came a buxom, red-faced girl, with a milk-pail in either hand. Stopping before the drooping figure, she laid down her burden and gazed at him, with a look of warm sympathy on her honest face.

"Is it you, Larry Duggan, that's here this fine morning?" said she. "What ails you at all, man? God be with us, you look as pale as a ghost."

The poor man raised his eyes to the big, kind face, and a couple of tears came rolling down his cheeks as he

"But Misther Duffield, sir, how can said, I?"

But the steward was gone. The listener at the window could hear his steps sounding in the corridor below, and the bang he gave the door behind him. George peeped out. Upon the ground below his window was a man dressed in rags and worn by disease and want to the last degree of emaciation. His eyes were large, and looked out above the dark, hollow cheeks with a wild, despairing light in them. He was in the same posture of entreaty he had assumed when the steward left him. Poor man! whatever cares the world had for him would be of short

duration anyhow. Death had too surely marked him for his own.

"Oh Matty, Matty, what's t' be done? Grinding Duffield's goin' t' take the roof from over our heads and lave us widout a penny in our pockets or a stitch to our backs. And me not strong at all."

"Who

"Ah, the hard-hearted ould villain," cried the sympathetic Matty. wud a' thought he'd be at his mane thricks again, and the young masther hisself at the Castle. Satan 'l niver have his own till grinding Duffield's in his clutches. Though he is my own masther I'll say it, for sorra little kindness did he iver show me, or any other livin' crayture."

"What breaks my heart is the thought o' the poor childre'. What'll we do or where'll we go widout a roof

For a moment he stood glaring at t' cover us."

"Don't be wake-hearted, poor man. | sick man, and the terrible words he Maybe he'll not be as good as his had heard that morning from his lips. word. Maybe it's t' fricken you he's thryin," the milkmaid consolingly suggested. "Shure he knows," said she, "that you wouldn't wrong the child unborn of a fardin'."

The next day George Barrisford Cholmondeley and his friend Ensign Vallance were enjoying their cigars under a wide-spreading beech tree on the extreme limits of the park when At this the man struggled to his feet, their attention was attracted by a tall, and dashing back the clustering graceful figure coming up the road in masses of black hair from his brows, the shade of the long avenue of trees. "Matty," said he, "Matty, you know "By Jove," cried Ensign Vallance, that grinding Duffield manes what he starting in his enthusiastic way to his says. But as God's above me he'll feet. "By Jove, Cholmondeley, we're niver live t' tell that he sint Larry in luck. Here is some wood nymph Duggan and his family to die be the who locates, no doubt, on your domain, way." and is coming, I suppose, with the local hamadryads' compliments to the lord of the manor." •

"Such grace," said he.
"Such a face," said the other.

And without another word the gaunt, attenuated man hurried off. There was a fixed look in his dark face that The other responded with an eloquent meant mischief. So thought Matty whistle. "Vallance," said he, "did the milkmaid as she trudged off with you ever see such a figure? I little her pails. So thought George Chol- thought, old fellow, that the hills of mondeley as he paced the floor of his Ballygavin produced such fruit as that." bedroom and muttered, "Can this Vallance, after cutting his caper, subbe? Has Duffield deceived me? He sided into recumbent admiration on the said my tenantry were happy and con- grass. tented. They should be, anyhow. I am sure I never oppressed them. But I shall visit the place and then we shall "You're catching inspiration, Cholsee-we shall see." And the young mondeley," muttered Vallance. "Your proprietor walked down stairs, mutter- words are being twisted into rhyming ing, "We shall see," where he met with mine by the strain your brain is Ensign Vallance, full of the subject standing. But I say, she is as pretty of snipe-shooting. At breakfast the as a picture." conversation turned on gunning, and it was agreed to devote the day to a shooting excursion on Lough Dhevin. On their way they passed a couple of cottages which Duffield caused them to visit. Everything was neat and exciting. clean and prosperous within. They The sun, shining through breaks in did not stop long. A look at the place the heavy leafage, fell upon her face and sufficed, and the young proprietor forgot the few bright coils of hair that strugin the day's sport the wan look of the gled from beneath her hat. She had

"Or as an angel," added Cholmondeley.

The object of these flattering utterances came along the road, quite ignorant of the eloquent interest she was