In Luck at Last

ning, Mr. Emblem looked

hnot this evening,

ted every evening. Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was no

ly, "you are late, sir, and somehow we get no music now unt

eside her, and their eyes met. There was in

hispered. "I have already written to my cousin.

least ambition to rise in the world. "If your cousin does not call upon me I shall not be dis

o move and checkmate in three moves. Mr. Emblem found the meshes of fate closing

y. "My friend, you have p

looking forward to for eighteen years, ever since I got your father's last letter, written upon his death-bed. It seems a long time, but like

o me, grandfather, except

morrow. Patience,

going to happen to himself was a small thing c

d, "I also have somethin

ot? Cannot yours wait

mportant. It can

pectacles and leaned back in his chair

to say, Mr. Emblem. I am sure tha

r inclined his

on asked Iris to marry me, Mr.

, Iris, my dear?" s

hand in Arnol

s thing: it is a partnership for life. Children, think well before you venture on the happiness or ruin of your whole l

l," said Arnold. "Ir

ike your face and manners, but I do not know who you are, nor what your means may be. Remember that I am poor-I am so poor-I

!" cried Iris; "and you did not t

a, "was it well to

t I am rich, and have saved money for Iris. It is not true, Mr

except a pair of hands and all the time there i

have mine. Grandfather, do not fear, even th

Lala Roy, who had been includ

can that ever be? Why, she carries in her hands an

eep you always. Some day I knew you would leave me; it is well that you

for you, grandfather, some

Mr. Emblem; "the best of girls! M

ted up his voice

s; humility is like a crown of glory about her head; her eye speaketh soft

too good to me,

od marriage was a happy blending of the finest Wallsend with the most delicate Silkstone. But he was in the c

nd volumes, grandf

fore her twenty-first birthday. Whatever may happen now, no one can say that either of you was influenced by any expectations. You both think yourself paupers; well, I say nothing, becau

to-morrow? Why not to-night, i

thday, however, is the same thing as your birthday. We will open the papers to-night. What I h

k shop. Here he lit the gas, and began

was to keep you as much as possible separated from companions who might not be thought afterward fit to be the friends of a young lady. You have as good an education as Lala Roy and I could devise between us. From him you have learned mathematics, so as to steady your mind and make you exact; and you have learned the science of heraldry from me, so that you may at once step into your own

ped and kis

rfect lady," he said

by birth. And one who knows heraldry respects a gentleman by birth." He laid his hand now on the handle of the safe, as if the time were nearly come for opening it, but not quite. "He sent me, with this last letter, a small parcel for you, my dear, not to be opened until you reached the age of twenty-one. As for the person who had succeeded to his inheritance, she was to be left in peaceable possession for a reason which he gave-quite a romantic story, which I will tell you presently-until you came of age. He was very urgent on this point. If, however, any disaster of sickness or misfortune fell upon me, I was to act in your interests at once, without waiting for time. Children," the old man

going under a false

to him, and these are part of the story which I shall have to tell you. Will you have

let us sit down and loo

s it proved, it was an unlucky one, b

le they waited, "thi

t am I to do wit

etter off, and can go on with our work; perhaps there will be houses; perhaps it will be thousan

e everything for yourself, and never get tired of it. But you must go on painting; you must never stop working, because we must be proud of you as well that you like. Oh, but I have not done yet. My grandfather is to have two rooms for himself, which he can fill with the books he will spend his time in collecting; Lala Roy will have two more rooms, quite separate, whe

d jewels, and dainty things all your own, and a boudoir, and nobody shall think of doin

me lawn-tennis, Arnold; and I should like, I think, to learn dancing. I suppose I must leave off making my own dresses, thou

bear adversity. But to be temperate

hat the inheritance, instead of being t

simpler. We shall have something to live up

ose, again, that the inheritance is

o grandfather, who will pay off his creditor,

"do you think that I wou

"that the inheritance turns out a delu

d," said Mr. Emblem qui

a teacher by correspondence, with five pupils. Arnold is looking for art-work, which will pay

ests were identical, and, indeed, he had lived so long

e will all live in a palace. And now, grandfather, that we have relieved our

ave first?" Mr. E

The story can wait. Let us exa

clever as you are, was determined to earn her own living, and so she went out as a governess. And one day she came home with her husband; she had been married the day before, and she told me they had very little money, and her husband was a scholar and a gentleman, and wanted to get work by writing. He got some, but not enough, and they were always in

ke out the papers, remember that Iris and I can take nothing-not

ildren," cri

rk of the wilderness, how he beareth on his wings his aged sire and supplieth him with food. The piety of a child is sweet

Emblem. "And now, children,

to be opened on her twenty-first birthday.' And this is the eve of it. But where is the letter? I tied the letter round it,

else in it except a few old account books; but

y I remember tying up the letter with

had tied up the letter with the parcel, and here was the parcel

, grandfather," said Iris; "

let us open

on her twenty-first birthday." Everybody in turn took it, weighed it, so to speak, looked at it curiously, and read the legend. Then they returned it to Mr. Emblem, who laid it b

f your baptism, Iris; there will also be letters to different people, and a true account of the rupture with his father, and the cause, of which his letter

he first and opened it. The paper was blank. The next, it was blank; the third, it was blank; the fourth, and fifth, and sixth, and so on throughout. The case, which

ers; then he turned pale; then he rushed at the rest. Whe

th trembling hands to tear out the contents of the safe

certain that I tied up the letter with red tape, outsid

remember them. Your son-in-law was known to you under the name of

N

you? Do you reme

every word o

I will write it down

kly, and as if he was

l be in the Silent Land, whither Al

blem began

ved you, Alice and I. My name

g happened. His memory

id Arnold; "the

em shook

the rest to-morrow

come back presently. You see we want to find out, first, who Iris's father really was, and what is her real name.

a dozen times. Yes, his coat; yes, first and fourth, two

y one who knew him b

t customer. But I forget his name, I have forgotten everything. Perhaps I shal

is hands, and stared abou

n. To-morrow we will speak of business." Then he sprung to his feet suddenly, struck with a thought which pierced him like a dagger. "To-morrow!

This is an awful specter, which is ever ready to appear before the man who has embarked his all in one venture. A disastrous season, two or three unlucky vent

ng? Idle talk, young man. How can money be made by painting? It's as bad a trade as writing. How can money be mad

d then Arnold made a great discovery. He began to examine the folded papers which were in the packet. I think he had some kind of vague idea that they might contain secret and invisibl

OGLY

table

. &

e showed the thing to the Hindoo, w

was sleeping. Like a child, he fell aslee

delusion of your grandfather'

you know

clever to fill it up again with paper. But he forgot that the packet has been lying for

you kn

ater-mark;" he held it to the light, and Iris read the mystic words. "That is the fashion of to-day. One house issues a new

eal it, Arnold? W

in order to sell it back. We may see an advertisement carefully worded, guarde

twenty years. He would not, surely, rob his old master. No

t, I belie

enough to rob the safe, how could he get at it? My grandfather never leaves it unloc

am here, one more added to your advisers? If you have lost a

s ours, and we are young. But who shall console m

ry meadow on its way, yet tarries not in any place, so Fortune visits the sons of men; she

ket, and gave it to Iris; they put back the ledgers and account-

nd you, too, Lala Roy. I shall stay here, in

loss of self-control when he spoke of his bankruptcy, the confusion of his words, told clearly of a mi

, and in the silent watches of the

and the sunshine of life. Not without reason is the Roman Catholic altar incomplete without a bone of some dead man. As for the t

ow them was very quiet; now and then a late cab broke the silence, or the tramp of a policeman; but there were no other sou

try to sleep a little. Shall we ever for

at the door. Presently the door opened, and he heard careful steps upon the stairs. They were the steps of Mr. Emblem hims

arly this morning!" as if it was quite a usual thin

down to the sho

to the shop. Pra

follo

I will have one more search for the letter, and then, if I cannot find it, I will write it

, Mr. Emblem, whil

e, young man. Yo

earch for the letter on the floor, going on his hands and knees, and p

who can tell you my son-in-law's real name. And then I will describe his coat-of-arms. My memory was never so clear and good as I feel it to-day. Strange that last night I seemed, for the moment, to forget everything! Ha, ha! Ridiculous, wasn't it? I su

emember the lett

the letter. Why it w

old man was mad. He had poured out the wilde

why he was in the house. "Ah, I knew it would come back to me. Strange if it did not. Why I read tha

f your son-in-l

es, th

Mr. Emblem changed it the next moment, and forgot it again the

e coat-

sly, are we not? The coa

coat-a coat which might have been drawn

ple of hours. It wa

that we shall somehow bring Iris to her own again, in spite

is all right. I have remembered everything, and Mr. Arbu

oked at

en you shall tell me all about it when Arnold goes; and you w

d bring home the-the inheritance. And I shall sit here all day long. It was a good dream that came to me this morning, was it not? Quite a voice from Heaven, which said: 'Get up a