In the Year of Jubilee

nsaction, would assuredly have found courage to enter a protest, but Mr. Lord consulted neither son nor daughter on any point of business

the family took meals. Of the chambers in the storey above, one was Nancy's, one her brother's; the third had, until six years ago, been known as 'Grandmother's room,' and here its occupant, Stephen Lord's mother, died at the age of seventy-eight. Wife of a Norfolk farme

ch in her own well-furnished retreat; one of them was a girl, the other a woman of about forty, named Mary Woodruff. Mary had been in the house fo

allowed to refurnish her chamber. Nancy pleaded for modern reforms throughout the house, but in vain; even the drawing-room kept its uninviting aspect, not very different, save for the removal of the bed, from that it had presented when the ancient lady slept here. In her own little domain, Miss. Lord made a clean sweep of rude appointments, and at small expense surrounded herself with pretty things. The woodwork and the furniture were in white enamel; th

its completion she invited him to inspect it, but Mr. Lord coldly dec

ly after five o'clock Nancy heard the familiar

r?' she asked, standing by the doo

dy,' replied

strong physique, and with set lips, which rarely parted save for necessary speech. Her eyes had a singular expression of inquietude, of sadness. A smile seldom appe

to Mr. Lord's door, gave a soft t

n. Dressed with excessive carelessness, he had the appearance rather of one at odds with fortune than of a substantial man of business. His short beard was raggedly trimmed; his grizzled hair began to show the scalp. Judging from the contour of his visage, one

cted a sign of more amiability than she had found

to-day,

es

at himself unless he were going to keep his position for some time, took the offered beverage f

you felt

to comp

ng of country accent could still be detected in it. He talked like a ma

will have a r

ed,' he added thoughtfully, 'she would hav

June. Yes,

put down the cup. Seemingly refreshed, he look

shing a scoundrel to-day. That

explanation, but i

drel?' s

bject should not be pursued. Nancy could only infer that he spoke

an not, they were persons of very small or very precarious income, who, rabid in the pursuit of gentility, signed agreements they had little chance of fulfilling; when in pecuniary straits, they either raised money upon the instruments, or allowed them to fall into the hands of distraining creditors. Inquiry into the circumstances of a would-be customer sometimes had ludicrous results; a newly-married couple, for instance, would be found tenanting two top-floor rooms, the furnishing whereof seemed to them incomplete without the piano of

o see the Queen to-morrow?'

with the Queen? D

ittle about her as you do. But I tho

ntimate that, at her age, it could hardly be necessar

evening?

eets-to see the people

was not

ackguards as never was known. How can you go into such

be outnumbered by the

's possible?' he

re'll be a great majority of people who pretend to b

r, without first finding out

was unusual; but at this juncture he met her eyes for an instant. The nervous motion with which he immediately turned a

old, father,' she replied

nswer if you were a man,' observ

a woman, you

his unfamiliar mode of ad

ry much what you did. I suppose you must do as

ilence, then

ask Horace t

ace-

id down his cup, moved a few

g was in your way,' he said gruff

playfulness. In listening, her father seemed to weigh the merits

Samuel Barmby will go wit

st reply. She drummed with her fingers

by to come with us,' she said,

't. I'll speak a

Nancy, on the point of speaking, checked herself. A f

ancy, rising from her chair, 'w

the room, and his own door cl

led. His hair was of pale chestnut, the silky pencillings of his moustache considerably darker. His cheek, delicately pink and easily changing to a warmer hue, his bright-coloured lips, and the limpid glistening of his eyes, showed him of frail constitution; he was very slim, and narrow across the shoulders. The fashion of his attire

at the door of the dinin

ng man withdrew to lay as

r?' was his questio

od-until I

ited a petti

that for? I want to have

ut w

ind; I'll te

nibble at a biscuit; the hour of his return made it unnecessary for him, as a rule, to take an

receiving a brief explanation of what had passed betw

our feet high; in the midst stood a laburnum, now heavy with golden bloom, and at the end grew a holly-bush, flanked with laurels; a border flower-bed displayed St

ake her to-morrow nigh

you h

together in the m

didn't before,'

an make a party

cour

ugly house-backs, and he

he said at length. 'A very queer thing has

r looked he

t at all, but I went down as quickly as possible, and saw the carriage waiting there,-a brougham,-and marched up to the door. Inside there was a lady-a great swell, smiling at me as if we were friends. I took off my hat, and said that I was Mr. Lord. "Yes," she said, "I see you are;" and she asked if I

is narrative, especially of the last words. N

f lady was i

ody in the best society-y

how

ll exactly; about fo

-Go

ntleman, and-well, she sat looking at me and smiling, and I could only smile back. Then she said she must apologise for behaving so strangely, but I was very young, and she was an old woman,-one couldn't call her that, though,-and she had taken this way of renewing

forward, he

road for a great many years; now she was come back to settle in England. She hadn't a house of her own yet, but lived at a boarding-house; she didn't know whether to take a house in Londo

ything more abo

o her own private sitting-room, where the table was laid for two. She said that she usually had h

where to find yo

en we had lunch. Everything was A-1 of course; first-rate wines to choose from, and a rattling good cigar

he been a widow

home. And at last she began to explain. She was a friend of mother's, years and years ago, and father was the cause of their parting, a quarrel about something, sh

t mother's dea

affair that parted them. She asked a good many questions about y

did yo

didn't know much about it

did you st

gave me an invitation for next Saturday. She wants me to meet her at

l you

o somewhere else on Saturday, with Fa

of grave reflectio

her, 'to have a friend of that sort. There's no kn

used Nancy

just

ather to-night,' Horace replied, setting hi

hat you're going

you

azed

illy as to tell father

exclaimed the o

th Fanny

' Horace replied, raising his brows, and gazi

know the result.

et crossed, and the upper part of his body bent forward. He smiled to