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Fe nn
» + * Poverty,‘there it-was!
12
“drew to the énd of the drawing-room, ostensibly | divan.
‘to admire a solitary myrtle which was fading in
“a vase at the window. A quiet inclivation of
“the head assured the speakers that the éclairctsse-
“ment had taken places) 75 ft ee
: “* Howv does’ Isabel’ bear’ it?” demanded: the
formers eee ee toned es
« * §' sad blow, poor girl!” replied her mother;
«her affections were so deeply engaged. An
George?” & mw et Boas
“Will get over it,” answered his uncle; ‘‘men
seldom die’of disappointment.” “"-* °°
2 Nor’ women either,” ‘thought Lady Hare-
bell, with difficulty repressing a smile; but she
kept her opinion'to herself, 7
“By-the-bye,” continued her visitor,‘ in‘ bis
blandest tone of voice, “‘ now that this childish
“flirtation is at an end—for‘it would be folly to
“call-it bya more serious name—don’t you agree
‘with me, that they ought to return any trifling
* Jetters'or notes which may have passed between |
them?” bic eee doar an fend:
The. prudent mother ‘thought differently: it
“Twas just possible that they might be useful iv
“keeping up-the sndden interést which General |*
Bouchier felt in the establishment of her daugh-
“ter. She resolved, therefore, to retain them,
' “Thad thought of that,” she ‘replied; ‘* but
“i Tsabel assures me that she has destroyed them—
the dear«girl ‘knew that I should disapprove of
~*her correspondence." 8 ft er he
Her visitor was’ annoyed: he knew she was
‘telling an untruth;’but he tried to look as if he
“believed hers oo Tce ores dy
vo. *© And so,” whispered the captain, leaning’ at’
’: the same’ time - over’ the? table ‘on -which~the
“music and’ drawings ‘were scattered, ‘you in-’
tend to marry the Créesus from India?” :
- And you the daughter of’ Sir Jasper Pep-
per?” replied the lady scornfully.) 3° 1177"
rh fA reproach Pes Tiree Mak el '
. “‘Thave no right to reproach you—the crime,
- ‘as’ Sheridan ‘says, will’carry the ‘punisliment’
along with it!’ ‘Perhaps I'should have’'sdid the’
~eonsolation—for the lady is tiehe9
~ ‘Richer thiaa Meeran Hafaz?* demanded her
“cousin, in the same low-tone;' but I will not
blame you,” he added, trying at the same time
“to look very much ‘impassioned and distr essed ;
{we are both victims: you of: your ‘m other’s
prudence—I of ‘the’ general’s despotic: t emper;
but we may’still be friends." ec f°
o' Isabel gazed in ‘his: face, and’'smiled -scorn-
fully, (276 Oe boleh gif ete PTR ae
oo Dear friends,” he‘ continued, '‘¢I shall re-
quire some sympathizing.ear into which’ I can
-- pour my sorrdws—a heart’ that can ‘understand
Some owe ey edb fo bie Ue cet phe bes
onthe young lady: looked very muclt’ as :if‘she
“perfectly -understood ‘‘him—for. her “face and
“neck became suddetily“suffused with’ blushes, |:
‘+ ¢ By-heavens, : Isabel,’ you ‘are worthy of a
2 eoronet 1 My only'regret is; that Lhave not one
“=:to offer four it would be too great a sacrifice to
’ “expect you to share my poverty.”9) ood eis:
oo His cousin thought’ so, too;‘ and yet! she felt,
mortified that the objection’ should’ have’ come
from. hime: v9 roracde geld otapy sd |
courage 'to stare the ‘lean! specter -in: the ‘iface ;
_ and yet they loved each: other,’ as: those: who
-~ have'been.reared in the hot-bed-of fashion’ love,
‘eoldly,’ prudently, each ‘heart: was “equally (a
= stranger to that pure passion which; like 2a» tree
“planted lin’ virgin’ soil,‘ tikes\'such !deep «root
within the heart—they fade or flourish both to-
oe gether, °° aoaty bint “lawman oat |
:4¢T am sure,” sighed Isabel,’ ** 1 ‘wish “your
happiness!” - “paren od fsdaek vial
24 Dshall pray for yours,” ‘replied the young’
» man, tenderly;:*‘we may still regard each other
-\vas: brother'and sister; of course :: may we not?”
uA: faint yes” from‘ the»fair ‘girl; who,
after all; was really to be pitied, was’ her only
réply, to the? insidious proposal, which Veiled
-"more danger. to “her: peace of! mind than she
imagined, eso" wnt f ee
norgide tat
AAD ae i
aod
‘hex The general «who -had“been' watching: them ’
closely during his ‘conversation ‘with’ “Lady
Harebell, felt that ‘it »was’ time’to depart,’ As
they rode home, he secretly smiled; his nephew
was humming a popular air fromthe last
Ob Gee pot BD ea ee?
Soperay 27
“ it Tayhl y a :
; bogs POHAPTER.IX 8) 9 be or
dst), Some know their enemies by instinct.’ Me
ae MrERAN: Havaz was seated in‘an apartment
“fo his ‘hotel, which! Lis lodian attendants had
“fitted up to’ resemble, as ‘nearly.as possible, a
‘|to the hookah, was seated at his feet.
| He is faithful; for he watched the
Neither had the moral’
~y alarmed,
TARRY. ASHTON.
The tables and chairs had been removed,
and piles of cushions substituted , in their
place. Je was reclining upon a musnud, smok
ing ao Persian’ hookah, whose’ rich _perfume
scented the atmosphere till it; became redolent
in the odors of the East. 00), gh by)
At the back of his head, he wore an embrold-
ered skull-cap, with’a long silken tassel], which
fell gracefully over his left shoulder, His long:
cymar of cashmere, % . ¢
have envied, was confined round his slender
waist by a rich girdle; from which an amulet—
the Begum’s parting gift—was suspended, :
“A Hindoo boy, whose duty it’swvas to attend
As the
fragrant smoke curled in fantastic eddies, round
his expressive but delicate features, a thousand }
recollections of the past crowded on his waking
dreams, Ellen — the’, garden’' where ; he’ had
wandered; with her: when a child in’ India—
evety. word ;she had spoken to-him,. and the
smiles “which had, accompanicd, them—were
drawn from the heart's treasury—memory—and
passed in review before him. 0
“She must: liave ‘seen ‘my boyish. passion,
he thought;"* young’ as she is, she’ could not
have been blind tothe passionate.‘adoration—
the homage of my heart. | Like’ myself, she
was born in ‘India—the land of ‘dreams and
flowers; of cloudless’ skies aud perfumes: ‘she
inust feel like a pinioned. bird in this*dull isle,
and pine for the sunny East.”° 7°)
“Then; again, the doubt—the terrible doubt—
assailed him, that'she bad forgotten hini; and
found ‘music ‘in ‘the voice of’ one of her’own
race; for ‘there ‘are sympathics in blood and
language which all can feel; and few explain. :
~ fhe absence of the Khan‘was a source’ of ‘ir.
titation.” The, third day ‘had- arrived, and he
had ‘not ‘made’ his‘ appearance,’ <The’ heart’ of
‘\ the lover. was consuming with impatience,” :-
“Would he were come!” he exclaimed aloud;
«His presence would ‘cool ‘the; fever of ‘my
blood.” ‘He is one’ of the few. beings T can trust.
/ death-couch
of my father—the cradle of his son.”*- ~’,
A peculiar signal was made at the door of the
apartment, ‘The countenance of the 'youdg man
became ‘radiant’ with joy.’ He’ clapped © his
hands thrice, ‘after the’ fashion ‘of the East, to
intimate that the person might enter, “07
‘The cuttains which had been ‘substituted for
the door of the room were drawn aside, and the
Khan; ‘in his’ Oriental’icostume, stood: before
him": eid fa sive Vaal seasit
' 4 Now,” exclaimed ‘the impatient’ lover | of
Ellen de Vere,‘ have you seen theayah?” ')
_.The messenger merely replied’ by ‘an ‘inclina-
tion of his head and’a signilicant glance at
east
~ woud
attendant, 8
With a'wave of his Wand, Meera
the BOY wy yin 3 ' i
vi Speak]. he
(Sa Phoe
rye fy
wopoou ere thd mt
‘said, as.soon.as they, were alone;
| “what saysshe? Has Ellen forgotten me?/I)ocs
she give}me. hope?” : : -
sh peg tag weed od
jit Hope,” replied the:renegade, who, from. his
long - residence: in the . East, had. fallen. into’
Orientalism of language, as well as habit, \‘fis the
staff of life, the light of; youth as,well as age:
both would: be dark without ite? ce ie Kio
.: The young man, paused, and eyed the speaker
closely. »From shis-manver, more,than, from
his; words, ; he | ‘judged, the :tidings . were «un-
favorable. ‘ Nay yetit :
‘2 “Tet me hear the worst,” he Said; ‘*T have a
heart capable of bearing the ‘heaviest ' blow’
‘which forttine can’inflict.» Weak !minds alone’
*} complainstrong ones endure in‘silence.” «!9 ;!
4 Far bo it from me-to be’ the bearer of such
intelligence,” answered. the » Khan. :o** Zara,
since her residence in England, has’ become
fanciful—the solitude of-her present life, added
to her passionate’ desire of ‘returning to India,
has’ filled ‘her mind‘ with shadows, which she
has: taken for realities.”.) . + te
“Proceed!” muttered Meeran, impatiently. .
«The-life of ler charge,; it appears,” con-
tinued the Khan, ‘‘has been preserved by the
Jaatetveder ls
active courage of a’youth, the son or nephew of | bl
a rich farmer on’ her uncle’s estate.:Tho bar-
onet: has’ invited: him to ‘the abbey. - Ellen is
”
: grateful; and the ayah has’ mistaken ‘gratitude
sel + + +s ee
‘or love. ; sow PO set
The rich, eloquent: Blood ‘mantled: on the
:} countenance of the young Indian, and ‘gave to
‘| his features an expression so different from their
usual placid character, that the Khan ‘became
‘eis but’a boy,” he said.’ -
2 yl '
“But Zara’ says ‘that: Ellen loves: him?” ob:
served Mecran}?! to780s co0 § Perens bE
which a duchess might })”
are dope
« “She has known
the messenger, °/ sre .
© “Love,” replied; the-youth, ‘ is» a flower of
quick growth; culture will seldom rear it, “It
first: puts forth’ leaves'so delicate, that unob-
servant eyes would fail to, mark: its’: birth,
‘“When.once it: has taken’ root, it flourishes se
rapidly;and ‘strikes so firmly in the soil, that life
and it'are one.) ices Gi vier oe :
‘s'The ayah may be deceived,”)07. >»:
vf
4woman’s tact, and: reads ‘the heart'of hor fair
pondered on,” 1s :
The Khan remained silent... 00s *
“‘Tlis name?” continued the speaker, ~~
oo Henry!Ashtou? el 2 2 tect oe be
J must sce him,” said Meeran, gloomily,
“oThe:countenance of: the messenger in turn
became pale: he’ knew the iinpettious temper of
the son of his late: master, who, gentle ‘as the
dove with those he loved, bad all:the fierce pas-
i sions of the vulture where he hateds) 01”
i: What would you do?” he demanded:
“Crush him!’ exclaimed ‘the: young man,
haughtily, “¢as I: would: a ‘serpent -that had
stung! me! .-This’Henry.Ashton:and ‘I cannot
breathe the same air—bis breath would taint it
|—his ‘glance, ‘like’ that« of the . basilisk, would’
witherany heart! ‘There are sympathies so op-
posite—natures so abhorrent of each other, that
‘| charge as. schoolboys ‘read the book they have
‘| their vicinity is: déath: ‘one of ‘these natures is
the peasant churl'to mel...) eile leans
**Meeran,” said. the Khan, with .an« anxiety
4whicly his’slight acquaintance with Henry Ash-
ton: made more strange, *‘ remember you.are in
a‘land where violence would ‘not ‘be permitted
‘against! the imeanest of its: subjects: -neither
your: mother’s: princely rank’ nor ‘your; great
| Wealth: would save .you from. the: iron blow: of
justice, should you raise your hand against this
‘young man’s life..s!) sty ionetial wate ues
"s 'The Indian’ only.smiled: he scorned to reply
to a’ menace; even though aw indirect one, »
“-#*Wergiit not-better,”. continued the speaker,
=} "to remove him from:your path?) Jac io
©. * How?! quickly said bis master:: |:
+ By sending him from England.” --*
© Meeran ‘reflected for aifew moments
phe repliéd to'him, 3) site20 Gye eeu
~* Perhaps: it would,” he said,’-at \last, ‘* pro-
vided it was far'from Ellen.” sist ores
o* To India,” added the Khan. :
“And do you ‘possess, the::power.to accom-
Vr erties
+ plish this?” demanded the Indian,’ doubtfully, ;
t ry ol Hot i
BEL doth cos
Yee tet
“ How?” ” : a
himgelf to
“Prince,” said the Khan, drawing
he | his full heightj!and*lookiig: him..firmly in the
face, ‘* Iishave. known »you: since ‘you were an
infant—have been trusted by: the Begum, your °
father, and yourself!?0o000 Woesiciy ites
cite True los rd
“iff Have Lever yet deceived you?”
to Never! iest cient ured lecizy tual +
- © Then trust to me now!” continued the rene-
fade; ‘*! seek not'to know the-means whereby I
work. »Even to you I darenot' explain them.
Grant me but. ten days," he ‘added,: and if; at
the expiration of that time, I have not succeeded
in’ removing the object of! your‘causcless jeal-
an ill-omened. shadow
etween
purpose!) 2 hi ; it
you and: your
< Ve TEC TYE ey bee elas
** Be it-sol” said) Meeran,: somewhat’ coldly;
‘“perform your-promise, dad I’ shall‘ have but
little curiosity to inquire the means—-fail,:and I
‘shall take ‘thevaffair_ under ity. own direction;
for I feel that. the'same land must-not: contain
‘the lover of Ellen and:myself!? jp2.ties git.
‘80 saying, the passionate-and haughty youth:
quitted. the room ‘to-preparei for his promised
visit to Lord Yarmouth’s) isiuitean 2)
‘i! No sooner was-he alone, than the. Khan, with
some terrible :misfortune,;:sunkupot’ the pile
of cushions, which the son of. Begum had ‘lately
quitted... He: pressed) his: hdnd to his high-and.
wrinkled brow‘asif he had received a heavy
ow, i°° Moet Teg bee: nF
“)**God!’- he exclaimed,.‘*how’ strange are thy
ways. | Place’ seas/and ‘years: between’ us, and
our sin is sure at last: to: find’us. “If wé escape
it through life, it haunts ‘us to the grave. ‘This
| poor, unoffending -youth!” ‘he added, ‘he had
; better. cross the tiger in hisrage than Meeran. I
| have ‘promised to remove him from’ his path,
Heaven, which inspired the resolution, will point
out the way.” 2 rei ooei ha th od
_ Whilst he remained plunged in silent medita-
tion, pondering on-the: means of fulfilling his
benevolent design, the curtain which veiled the
toa iti tt
euebtone. G4 7
4
} o : ‘’
him‘ but a few days,” urged .
“‘She has quick eyes,” was the reply, ‘‘a >
the ‘air ‘ofa man. suddenly: overwhelmed by -
rs
ousy from: England, I-will ‘no longer: pass like :
“y
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