Beatrice

e disagreeable, but he accepted them as he accepted existence and all its vanities, without remark or mental comment. There is a class of mind of which thi

placid surface of their days. Such men slip past them. They look out upon the stars and read of the mystery of the universe speeding on for ever through the limitless wastes of space, and are not astonished. In their childhood they were taught that God made the sun and the stars to give light on the earth; that

use upon the past and future, and the gull blown like a foam-flake out against the sunset, does not know the splendour of the sky and sea. Even the savage is not much troubled about the scheme of things. In the beginning he was "torn out of the reeds," and in the end

mind, as he was in body powerful, placid, and healthy to an exasperating degree. It may be said that it is easy to be religious and placid on ten thousand a year, but Owen Davies had not always enjoyed ten thousand a year and one of the most romantic and beautiful seats in Wales. From the time he was seventeen, when his mother's de

d never seen his relation, and never dreamed of this romantic devolution of great estates upon himself. But he accepted the good fortune as he had accepted the ill, and said nothing. The only people who knew him were his shipmates, and they could scarcely be held to know him. They were acquainted with his appearance and the sound of his voice, and his method of doing his duty. Als

it out. In vain did the man of affairs point out to his client that with the help of a cheque of ￡100 he could arrange the matter for him in ten minutes. Mr. Davies merely replied that the property could wait, he should go the voyage and retire afterwards. The lawyer held up his hands, and then suddenly remembered that there are women in

awyer suggested that Mr.

d answer. "The property has come to me by chance. If I

"it is against my advice, but you must

k I should like to have ten pounds. They are build

this condition he remained for some minutes after the door had closed behind his c

est behind him, and there, about two hundred paces from the land, and built upon a solitary mountain of rock, measuring half a mile or so round the base, he perceived a vast medi?val pile of fortified buildings, with turrets towering three hundred feet into the air, and edged with fire by the setting sun. He gazed on it with perplexity. Could it be that this enormous island fortress belonged to him, and, if so, how on earth did

she asked in a low sweet voice, the ec

now for the first time he saw tha

Thomas will not show people over after four

e over the place. I came to live there. I a

in amazement. So this was the mysterious sailor ab

t. I will show you where you can get one. Old Edward will row you across for sixpence," and she led the way round a corner of the

gnarled and twisted specimen of the sailor tribe, with small eyes and a face that reminded the observer of one of those quaint

ification about him, miss?"

red laughing. "He says th

ain't; anyway, it isn't my aff

r. Davies overheard, and it d

ision of Mrs. Thomas shot into Owen's mind. If the boatman did not believe in him, what chance had he with the hou

ernly, putting down his hesitation to

ame, and I am sure I have no right to ask it, but would you mind rowing across

impropriety in the situation, and indeed there was none. But her sense of humour told her tha

l," she said,

at a visitor had come, under the guidance of Miss Beatrice, to look at the antiquities of the Castle, which was the show place of the neighbourhood, sauntered back again. Then the pair began the zigzag ascent of the rock mountain, till at last they stood benea

house in the whole world. Your great-uncle, who died a year ago, spent more than fifty thousand pounds on repairing and refurbishing it, they

in his heart he wondered what on earth he should do with this white e

ce to herself, as she tugged away at the postern

d by an active-looking littl

en to himself; "she is ev

n her shrillest key; "it is too late to show visitors over. Why, ble

n as a hint that he should expl

tain pride. "I found him wandering about the beach. He

know it's him?" said Mrs. Thomas. "Ho

answered Beatrice aside, "bec

atrice, embracing his cause, as stoutly pressed his claims. As for the lawful owner, he made occasional feeble attempts

Mrs. Thomas with scathing sarcasm, "and com

rs with you?" suggested Be

charge of the Castle. He had forgotten all about it, but at this interesting juncture it was produced and read aloud by Beatrice. M

tact, "but one can't be too careful with all these trampseses about; I never

e stone parlour and the oak parlour, the library and the huge drawing-room, in which the white heads of marble statues protruded from the bags of brown holland wherewith they were wrapped about in a manner ghastly to behold. At length they re

ng tired of walking." And there he stopped for many years. The rest of the Castle was shut up; he scarcely

love with her then and there, only to fall deeper and deeper into that drear abyss as years went on. He never said anything about it, he scarcely even gave a hint of his hopeless condition, though of course Beatrice divined something of it as soon as she came to years of discretion. But there grew up in Owen's silent, lonely breast a great and overmastering desire to make this grey-eyed girl his wife.

dness. For Beatrice did not like him in that way. To a girl of her curious stamp his wealth was nothing. She did not covet wealth, she coveted independence, and had the sense to know that marriage with such a man would not bring it. A cage is a cage, whether the bars are of iron or gold. He bored her, she despised him for his want of intelligence and enterprise. That a man with all this wealth and endless opportunity should waste hi

all of these he placed at her disposal, having first carefully cut the leaves with his own hand. This was a bait Beatrice could not resist. She might dread or even detest Mr. Davies, but she loved his books, and if she quarrelled with him her well of knowledge would simply run dry, for there were no circulating libraries at Bryngelly, and if there had been she could not have afforded to subscribe to them. So she remained on good terms with him, and even

to give him more opportunities of seeing her. As a member of the council, he could visit the school of which she was mistress as often as he chose, and indeed he soon learned to take a lively interest in village education. About twice a week he would come in just as the school was breaking up and offer to walk home with her, seeking for a favourable opportunity to propose. Hithert

ll-regulated young woman, born to bring trouble on herself and all connected with her. Had she been otherwise, she