Part 54 (1/2)

Soave hiers were evidently going to spend the day, so Despard, after a short call, withdrew Before he left, Mrs Thornton absented herself on some pretext for a few moments, and as he quitted the rooave hi the note in his hands till he reached his study; then he locked himself in, opened the note, and read as follows:

”DEAR MR DESPARD,--How does it happen that things turn out just as they ought not? I was so anxious to go with you to the church to-day about our music I know my oers; they are not contemptible; they are not uncultivated; they are simply, and wholly, and irretrievably _commonplace_ That much I deem it my duty to inform you

”These wretched people, who have spoiled a day's pleasure, dropped upon h they had co Coive you On that day give up your an, and allot some portion of your time to, Yours,

”TT”

On Thursday Despard called, and Mrs Thornton was able to accompany hians in Wales

Despard was to play and she to sing He had his ibly written out from the precious old Greek scores which he loved so dearly and prized so highly

They began with the canon for Easter-day of St John Da to Despard, was the best of the Eastern hymnists Mrs

Thornton's voice was rich and full As she came to the [Greek: anastaseos haemera]--Resurrection Day--it took up a tone of indescribable exaltation, blending with the triuan

Despard added his own voice--a deep, strong, full-toned basso--and their blended strains bore aloft the sublimest of utterances, ”Christ is arisen!”

[Illustration: AND THEIR BLENDED STRAINS BORE ALOFT THE SUBLIMEST OF UTTERANCES, 'CHRIST IS ARISEN']

Then followed a more mournful chant, full of sadness and profound melancholy, the [Greek: teleutaion aspasmon]--the Last Kiss--the hymn of the dead, by the same poet

Then followed a subliment--[Greek: taen haemeran taen phriktaen]--where all the horrors of the day of doom are set forth The chant was commensurate with the dread splendors of the theers blended in perfect concord The sounds which were thus wrought out bore theain to their own ears, i of the ahich i to their voices that saddened cadence which the sad spirit can convey to its material utterance

Despard then produced some composition of his own, made after the manner of the Eastern chants, which he insisted were the priments of hymns which are imbedded in the text of the New Testaels, which was first sung by ”a great voice out of heaven”--[Greek: idou, hae skaenae tou Deou]--Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men!

The chant was a rief stayed, of misery at an end forever, of tears dried, and a time when ”there shall be no entlestrain which was like the sighing of the evening wind a the hoary forest trees; it soothed and coht hope, and holy calan Mrs Thornton looked at hi brings cal it I would wish to die”

”It is not thebefore us a ti”

”May such a time ever be?” murmured she

”That,” he replied, ”it is ours to ais will be righted, friends will be reunited, and those severed here through all this earthly life will be joined for everlowed in that gaze It was sad beyond expression, but each one held commune with the other in a mute intercourse, more eloquent than words

Despard's whole fra the _Ave Maria_?” he asked, in a low, scarce audible voice Her head dropped She gave a convulsive sigh He continued: ”We used to sing it in the old days, the sweet, never-forgotten days now past forever We sang it here We stood hand in hand”

His voice faltered

”Sing,” he said, after a tihed ”Perhaps it is better not; for I feel as though, if you were to sing it, my heart would break”