Part 82 (2/2)
”One of the finest, strangest sights I ever saw in my life,” resumed Captain Brentwood, ”was on the morning I came to take possession. None of the family were left but Murtagh Donovan and Miss Burke. I rode over from Buckley's, and when I came to the door Donovan took me by the arm, and saying 'whist,' led me into the sitting-room. There, in front of the empty fireplace, crouched down on the floor, bareheaded, with her beautiful hair hanging about her shoulders, sat Miss Burke. Every now and then she would utter the strangest low wailing cry you ever heard: a cry, by Jove, sir, that went straight to your heart. I turned to Donovan, and whispered, 'Is she ill?' and he whispered again, 'Her heart's broke at leaving the old place where she's lived so long. She's raising the keen over the cold hearthstone. It's the way of the Burkes.' I don't know when I was so affected in my life. Somehow, that exquisite line came to my remembrance,--
”'And the hare shall kindle on the cold hearth-stone,'
”and I went back quietly with Donovan; and, by Jove, sir, when we came out the great a.s.s had the tears running down his cheeks. I have always felt kindly to that man since.”
”Ah, Captain,” said Desborough, ”with all our vanity and absurdity, we Irish have got good warm hearts under our waistcoats. We are the first nation in the world, sir, saving the Jews.”
This was late in the afternoon of a temperate spring day. We were watching Desborough as he was giving the finis.h.i.+ng touches to a beautiful watercolour drawing.
”Doctor,” he said, ”come and pa.s.s your opinion.”
”I think you have done admirably, Captain,” said the Doctor; ”you have given one a splendid idea of distance in the way you have toned down the plain, from the grey appearance it has ten miles off to the rich, delicate green it shows close to us. And your mountain, too, is most aerial. You would make an artist.”
”I am not altogether displeased with my work, Doctor, if you, who never flatter, can praise it with the original before you. How exceedingly beautiful the evening tones are becoming!”
We looked across the plain; the stretch of gra.s.s I have described was lying before one like a waveless sea, from the horizon of which rose the square abruptsided ma.s.s of basalt which years ago we had named the Organ-hill, from the regular fluted columns of which it was composed.
On most occasions, as seen from Major Buckley's, it appeared a dim ma.s.s of pearly grey, but to-night, in the clear frosty air, it was of a rich purple, s.h.i.+ning on the most prominent angles with a dull golden light.
”The more I look at that n.o.ble fire-temple, the more I admire it,” said the Doctor. ”It is one of the most majestic objects I ever beheld.”
”It is not unlike Staffa,” said Desborough. ”There come two travellers.”
Two dots appeared crawling over the plain, and making for the river.
For a few minutes Alice could not be brought to see them, but when she did, she declared that it was Jim and Halbert.
”You have good eyes, my love,” said her father, ”to see what does not exist. Jim's horse is black, and Halbert's roan, and those two men are both on grey horses.”
”The wish was parent to the thought, father,” she replied, laughing. ”I wonder what is keeping him away from us so long? If he is to go to India, I should like to see him as much as possible.”
”My dear,” said her father, ”when he went off with Halbert to see the Markhams, I told him that if he liked to go on to Sydney, he could go if Halbert went with him, and draw on the agent for what money he wanted. By his being so long away, I conclude he has done so, and that he is probably at this moment getting a lesson at billiards from Halbert before going to dinner. I shall have a nice little account from the agent just now, of 'Cash advanced to J. Brentwood, Esq.'”
”I don't think Jim's extravagant, papa,” said Alice.
”My dear,” said Captain Brentwood, ”you do him injustice. He hasn't had the chance. I must say, considering his limited opportunities, he has spent as much money on horses, saddlery, &c., as any young gentleman on this country side. Eh, Sam?”
”Well sir,” said Sam, ”Jim spends his money, but he generally makes pretty good investments in the horse line.”
”Such as that sweet-tempered useful animal Stampedo,” replied the Captain, laughing, ”who nearly killed a groom, and staked himself trying to leap out of the stockyard the second day he had him. Well, never mind; Jim's a good boy, and I am proud of him. I am in some hopes that this Sydney journey will satisfy his wandering propensities for the present, and that we may keep him at home. I wish he would fall in love with somebody, providing she wasn't old enough to be his grandmother.--Couldn't you send him a letter of introduction to some of your old schoolfellows, Miss Puss? There was one of them, I remember, I fell in love with myself one time when I came to see you; Miss Green, I think it was. She was very nearly being your mamma-in-law, my dear.”
”Why, she is a year younger than me,” said Alice, ”and, oh goodness, such a temper! She threw the selections from Beethoven at Signor Smitherini, and had bread and water-melon for two days for it. Serve her right!”
”I have had a narrow escape, then,” replied the father. ”But we shall see who these two people are immediately, for they are crossing the river.”
When the two travellers rose again into sight on the near bank of the river, one of them was seen galloping forward, waving his hat.
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