_/V L; I I   " O ] K  I A" I) L O .V D O _]V 31  C --- 31  I  [ brightly lighted windows. At the base of this populous structure was an eternal jangle of horse-cars, and all round it, in the upper dusk, was a sinister hum of mosquitoes. The ground-floor ofthe hotel seemed to be a huge transparent cage, flinging a wide glare of gaslight into thc street, of which it formed a sort of public adjunct, absorbing and emitting the pass- ers-by promiscuously. The young Eng- ]ishmen went in with every one else, from curiosity, and saw a couple of hun- dred men sitting on divans along a great marble-paved corridor, with tlmir legs stretched out, together with sevcral dozcn more standing in a queue, as at the ticket- office of a railway station, before a brill- iantly illuminatcd counter of vast extent. These latter pcrsons, who carried port- manteans in their hand, had a dejected, exlmnsted look ; their gal'lnents were hot very fresh, and tley seemed to be ren- dering some mysterions tribute to a mag- nificent young nan with a waxed mus- tache, and a shirt-front adorned with diamond buttons, who ever), now and then dropped an absent glanee over their mul- titndinous patience. They were American eitizens doiug homage to a hotel elerk. 10 of people staying with her ; i don't know who they all are; only she may have no room. But you can bcgin with the hotel, and meanwhile you can live at my louse. In that way--simply sleeping at the hotel --you will find it tolerable. For the test, you nust make yourself at home at place. You nmstn't be shy, )'ou know; if you are only here for a month, that will be a great waste of rime. Mrs. Westgate won't negleet :)'ou, and had better not try to resist her. I know sonmthing about that. I cx- pcet )on'll find some pl'etty g.irls on tlm prelnises. I shall write to wife by this afternoon's nmil, and to-morrow lnorning slm and Miss Alden will look out fol" :you. ,Just walk right in and nmke )'oui'self eomfortable. Your steamer leaves from this part of the ei ty, and I will immcdiately senti out and get you a eabin. Then, at half-past four o'eloek, just eall for ne here, and I will go with you and put Sou on board, lt's a big boat; you might get lost. A_ few da)'s henee, at the end of tlm week, I will corne down boxes appeared fo open, a large orches- tra was playing operatic selections, and, bclow, peoplc wcre handing al)out bills of lai'e, as if thcy had been programnes. All this was suflicientl.y curions; but the agrecable tling, la.ter, was to sit ont on one of the grcat whitc decks of steamer, in the Wal'm, breezy dal'kness, and, in the vague starlight, to make out the line of low, nystcrious eoast. The young Englishnen tried American ci- gaa-s--those of Mr.  cstate--and talked together as tlmy usually talked, with many odd silenecs, lapscs of logie, and ieon- gruities of transition, like pcople who have grown old togetlmr, and learned to supply eaeh other's nissing phrases; or, nore espeeially, likc people thoroughly eonseious of a eonnon point of view, so that a style of conversation superfieially laeking in finish night suffiee :fOl" refer- enee to a fund of associations in the light of whieh everything was all riglt. "We reall) seem to be going out to sca," I)erey Beanlnmt observed. '" Upon my word, we are going baek to England. IIe has slipped us off again, i eall that ' real ll'lean.   "I suppose it's all right," said Lord 29 -Lambeth. "I want to those pretty girls aU New- prt Yo,, know-he told'us thc hlll. " [ say, we had btter remain at the y. "I don't ddnk i ]ike the way he qmk of his hou. I don' lke stop- ping in tle house with such a tremen- dou lot of wonlell." " Ol, I don't mind," said Lord Lam- beth. And tlmn tley s,,oked a wlile in silence. '" Faney his tliking we do lin work i Egland " tle young lllall re- sumcd. " I date say he didnt really tldnk id l'erey Beaumont. '" Ah," rejoined the young barrister, "I haven't the expeetation of a hundred thousand a year, hot to nention other attractions." "Well," said Lord Lambeth, "don't e:y out belote you're hurt !" It was certainly ve 3" much cooler at Newport, where our travellers round themselves assigned to a couple of di- minutive bedrooms in a far-away angle of an immense hotel. Tlmy had gone ashore in the early summer twilight, and had very promptly put themselves to bed; thanks to whieh eireunstanee, and to their having, during the previous hours in their eommodious eabin slept the sleep of 3"onth and healtl, they began to feel, towards eleven o'eloek, very alert and in- and see l[rs. Westgate, and make ail the proper inquiries." And so the two inquiring Englishme, who had this la@'s addre inscribcd in her hnsband's hand upon a tard, deseend- ed fron the veranda of the big hotel and took their way, aeeording to direction, along a large, Stl'aight road, past a series of fresh-looking villas emboomed in shrubs and flowers, and enelosed in an ingenious variety of wooden palings. The morning was brilliant and cool, tle villas were smart and snug, and the walk of the 'oung travellers was very en- tertaining. Eerytling looked as if it had reeeived a eoat of fresh paint day beforet]e red roofs, the green shutters, the elean, bright browns and buffs of tle lmuse fronts. The flower beds on the little lawns seemed to spar- kle in the radiant air, and the gravel in the short earriage sweeps to flash and twinkle. Along the road came a hun- dred little basket-phaetons, in whieh, al- most alwa3"s, a couple of ladies were sit- ting--ladies in white dresses and long white gloves, holding the teins and look- ing at the two Englishmen--whose na- tionalit3r was hot elnsivc--through thick 39 blue veils tied tightly about their faces, as if to guard their complcxions. At last the young men came within sight of the sea again, and then, having interro- gated a gal'dener over the paling of a villa, they turned into an open gare. IIere they found themselves face to face witl the oeean and with a very pietu- res(inc structure, resembling a magnified chalet, whieh was perehed npon a green embankment just above it. The house had a veranda of extraordinary width all around it, and a great many doors and windows standing open to the veranda. These various apcrturcs had, in conimon, sueh an accessible, hospitable air, sueh a breezy flntter within of light CUl'tains, sueh expansive thrcsholds and reassuring interiors, that out friends hardly knew whieh was the regular entranee, and, after hesitating a moment, presented then- selvcs at one of the windows. The roon within was dal'k, but in a moment a graee- fui figure vaguely shaped itself in the rieh-looking gloom, and a lady came to lneet them. Tlmn they saw that she becn scated at a table writing, and tlmt she had heard them and had got np. She stcpped out into the light; she wore a 4O take a very favorable view; but you know you can't take a very favorable view in Dover Strcct in the month of :November. Tlmt has alwys been my rate. "Do you know Jones's I[otel, in Dorer Strcet Tlmt's all [ know of England. Of course cvery one admits that tlm Eng- lish hotcls are your weak point. There was always the most t"rightful fo; I couldn't see to try my things on. "When I got over to Americainto the light[ usually found they wcre twice too big. The next time I mean to go in the season ; I think I shall go next ycar. I want very much to take my eister; slm has never been to England. I don't know whether you knoxv what I mean by saying that the Englishmen who corne here some- rimes get spoiled. I mean that they take things as a matter of course--things that are done for them. Now, naturally, they are only  ,natter of course when Englishmen are very nice. But, of course, tlmy are almost always very n.'ce. Of course this isn't nearly such an interest- ing country as England; there are hOt nearly so nany thiags to see, and we haven't your country life. I have never seen anything of your country life; when fully confined to New York. I suppose you think that is very strange--for a gentleman. But you see we haven't any leisnre elass." )frs. Westgate's diseourse, delivered in a soft, sweet voiee, flowed on like a min- iature torrent, and was interrupted by a hundred little smilcs, glances, and gest- urcs, which might havc figured the ir- regularities and obstructious of such a stream. Lord Lambcth listencd to her with, it must be confessed, a rather in- effectual attention, although he indulged in a good many little mumnurs and cjac- ulations of asscnt and deprecation. Ile had no great faculty for apprehending generalizations. There were some three or four indced which, in the play of his own intelligence, he had originated, and which had seened convenient at the mo- ment; but at the present time he could lml'dly have been said to follow lIrs. Westgate as shc darted graceful]y about in the sea of speculation. Fortunately, she asked for no special rejoinder, for she looked about at the rest of the company as well, and smiled at Pel'cy Beaumout, on the otber side of her, as if he, too, nust understand her and agree with her. l[e 50 was rather more successful than his com- panion; for l)esides being, as we know, eleverer, his attention was hot vaguely distraeted by elose vieinity to a remark- ably interesting )'oung girl with dark hair and blue e),es. This was the case with Lord Lambeth, to whon it oeeurred after a while tlmt the )'oung girl with blne e)'es and dark hair was the pretty sister of whom 5Ifs. Westgate had spoken. Sle presently turned to him with a re- mark whieh establislmd her identity. " It's a great pity conldn't have brought my brother- in-law a moment, and then, "I dare say he would," she ansvered. "Really !" said the young Englishman. "He was immensely civil to Beaumont and me," he added. '" IIe is a dear, good fcllow," the young lady rejoined, "and he is a perfect hus- band. But all Americans are that," she continucd, smiling. "Really !" Lord Lambeth exclaimed again, and wondercd whether all Amer- ican ladies had such a passion for gener- alizing as thesc two. IIe sat there a good while: there was a great deal of talk; it was all very friendly and lively and jolly. Evcry one present, sooner or later, said something to him, and seemed to make a particular point of addressing him by name. Two or three other persons came in, and there was a shifting of seats and changing of places; the gentlemcn all entered into intimate conversation with the two Eng- ]ishmen, ruade them urgent offers of hos- pitality, and hopcd they might frequently be of service to thcm. They wcre afraid Lord Lambeth and Ir. Bcaunont were not very confortable at their hotcl ; that it was not, as one of thcn said, "so pri- s3 vate as those dear little English inns of yonrs." This last gentleman went on to say that unfortunately, as yet, perhaps, privaey was hot quite so easily obtained in America as might be desired ; still, he continued, you could generally get it by paying for it; in faet, you eould get everything in Ameriea nowadays by paying for it. American life was ecr- tainly growing a great deal more pri- vate; it was growing very mueh like England. Evcrything at Newport. for instance, was thoroughly private, Lord Lambeth would probald$ be struek witl tiret. t was also represented to the strangers that it mattered very little wlether thcir botel was agreeable, as every one would want them to make visits; they would stay witl other peo- ple, and, in any case, they wonld be a great deal at Mrs. Westgate's. They would find that very c]mnning" it was the pleasantest lonse in Newport. I t was a pity Mr. Vestgate was always away" he was a man of the highest abilityvery aeute, very aeute, lIe worked like a liorse, and lie left lii wife well, to do about as she liked. IIe liked her to enjoy herself, and sle seemed 5 Alden was was in a dif- fel'ent style altogether. Some people even thouglt her pretticr, and, certainly, shc was hot so sharp. She was nore in thc Boston style; shc had lived a great deal in Boston, and shc was vcry highly ed- ucated. Boston girls, it was propounded, wcr more likc English ymmg ladics. Lord Lanbetl had prescntly a chance to test the truth of tlds proposition, for on thc compan" l'iing in compliancc with a suggestion fron their hostcss that they should walk down to thc rocks and look at tire sea, thc 5onng Englishman again round linsclf, as they strollcd across thc grass, in proximity to hh's. Westgatc's sister. Tlmugh she was but a girl of twcnty, shc appcared to fecl thc ol)liga- tion to cxert an active hospitality; and this was, perhaps, the more to be noticed as she seemed by nature a reserved and retiring person, and had little of lier sis- ter's fraternizing quality. She was, per- haps, rather too thin, and she was a little pale; but as she movcd slowly over the grass, with lier arms hanging at ber sides, looking gravely for a moment at the sea and then brightly, for all ber gravity, at him, Lord Lambeth thought hcr at least as pretty as Mrs. Westgate, and reflected that if this was the Boston style the Bos- ton style was very charming. IIe thought she looked very clever ; he could imagine that she was high]y educated ; but at the saine time she seemed gentle and grace- ful. For all her cleverness, however, he felt that she had to think a little what to say; she didn't say the first thing that came into her head; he had corne from a different part of the world and from a different society, and she was trying to adapt her conversation. The others were scattering themselves near the rocks; Irs. Westgate had charge of Percy leau- mont. "Very jolly place, isn't it ?" said Lord Lambeth. "It's a very jolly place to sit." "Very charming," said thc young girl. 56 repose is hot simple" a civil way of say- ing that he looked stupid, llc was cv- idently hot a young nan of an irritable imagination ; he was hot, as he would himself have said, trenendously clever; but thongh tlere was a kind of appealing dulness in his eyc, he looked thoronghly reasonable and conpetent, and his appcar- anee proelainmd that to be a noblenan, an athlete, and an excellent fellow was suffieiently brilliant combination of qual- ities. The young girl beside lim, it nay be attested without further delay, thought him the handsomest young man she evcr seen; and Bessie Alden's imagina- tions, nnlike tlmt of her eompanion, was irritable, fie, however, was also naking up his mind that sle was uneommonly pretty. "1 date say it's very gay lerethat you have lots of balls and parties," le said; for, if lin was hot tremendously elever, le rather prided himself on hav- ing, with woen, a suffieieney of con- versation. "Oh yes, tlmre is a great deal on," Besie Alden replied. "Tlmre hot so may lmlls, but tlere are a good man). other things. Yon will sec for . . ! At this point Percy Beaumont certainly looked straight at his kinsman ; he tried to catch lis eye. lIut Lord Lanbeth vould hot look at him; his own eyes were better occnpied. "i slall be very hap1)y," cried Bessie Alden. " I ara only going to some shops. But I will drive yon about and show yon the place." "An American woan wlo respects lerself," said Mrs. West,ate, turning to Beaumont witl ler ln'io'h expos- itory air, "must buy something evel'y day of ler life. If sle can- not do it lmrself, sle - mnst send 01113 SOll/e member of ber fanily for the pnr- pose. So ]qessie goes fortl to ful- fil y mis- sion. Tle young girl lad "I really believe," Nrs. Westgate con- tinned, "that the most charming girl in tlm world is a ]3oston superstructure upon a New -ork fotds; or perlaps a New 5"ork superstructure upon a Boston fonds. At any rate, it's the mixture," said Irs. Westgate, wlo eontinued to give l'el'e;f- J3eaumont a great deal of in- fornation. Lord Lambeth got into a little basket phaeton with Bessie Alden, and she drove him down the long avenue, whose extent he had measured on foot a couple of hours before, into the aneient town, as it was ealled in that part of the world, of New- port. The aneient town was a entions affail'---:t collection of fresh-looking little wooden houses, painted white seattered overa hill-side and elustered about a long, stl'aight street, paved with enormous eob- ble-stones. There were plent.v of shops, a large proportion of wliel appeared to be those of fruit venders, witl, piles of huge watermelons and pumpkins staeked in front of tlem ; and, drawn up before the shops, or bmnping about on the eob- ble-stones, were innunerable other bas- ket-phaetons freighted with ladies of ligh fashion, who gl'eeted eaeh other from 68 agreed that it was extremely jolly that they had never knmvn anything more agreeable. It is hot proposed to narrate ninutely tle incidents of their sojourn on this eharming shore; though if it were eonvenient I might present a rec- ord of impressions none the less delee- table that the.y were hot exhaustively alyzed. Man.y of them still linger in the minds of out travellers, attended by train of lmrnonions inages--iages of brilliant morni,gs on lawns and piazzas that overlooked tlm sea; of innunmrable pretty girls ; of infinite lounging and talk- ing ad laugling and flil'ting and lunel- ing and dining; of universal friendlines and frakness; of occasions on wlicl they knew every one and everything, and had an extraordiary sense of ease; of drives and rides in tle late afternoon over gleaming bea.ehes, on long sea-roads beneath a sk 3" liglted up by marvellous sunsets; of suppers, on the retnr, infor- nlal, irregnlar, agreeable; of evenings at open windows or on tle perpetual ve- randas, in tle snmmer starliglt, above the warm Atlantie. The young Englisl- men were introdueed to everybody, enter- tained by everybod.y, intimate with every- 70 After this Percy ]3eamnont held his tongue; but on August 10th he wrote to the Duchess of ]3ayswater. IIe was, as I have said, a man of conscience, and he had a strong, incorruptible sense of the proprieties of life. ilis kinsman, meanwhile, was having a great deal of talk with Bessie Alden--on the red sea- rocks beyond the lawn; in the course of long island rides, with a slow return lu the glowing twilight; on the deep vcran- da late in the evening. Lord Lambeth, who had stayed at many houses, had never stayed at a bouse in which it was possible for t young man to converse so frequently with a young lady. This young lady no longer applied to Percy Beaumont for in- formation eoneerning his lordship. She addressed herself directly to the young nobleman. She asked him a great many questions, sonne of whieh bored him a little; for he took no pleasure in talking about himself. " Lord Latnbetl," said Bessie Alden, " are you a hereditary legislator ." "Oh, I say !" eried Lord Lanbeth, "don't make ne eall myself sueh names as that." "But you are a menber of Parliament," said the young girl. 76 had been at 2'ewpol't during the previ- ous smnmer, at thc time of our young Englihmen's visit, and he took extreme pleasnre in the society of Bessie Alden, whom he always addressed as "Miss ]3es- sie." She izmnediately arranged with him, in the presenee of her sister, that he should eonduet her to the seene of Arme P, oleyn's exeeution. " You nay do as you please," said Mrs. Westgate. " Only--if yon desil'e the in- formation--it is hot the eustom here for young ladies to knock about London with youn men." " Miss Bessie has waltzed with llle so often," observed Willie Woodley; "she ean surely go out with me in  hansom l" "[ eonsider waltzing," said [rs. Westgate, "tle most innocent pleasm'e of out rime." "It's a compliment to our rime exelaimed the 3"Ollllg lllnll, with a little langh in spite of himself. "I don't see why I shonld regard what is done here," said Bessie Alden. "Why should I surfer the restrietions of a soeiety of whiel I enjoy none of the privileges." 93 of pedestrians closed about him, so that fol' some ten minutes he was lidden from sight. At last lle reappearcd, bringing a gentlelnan wit}, lfin--a gentleman whon Bessie al first snppused to be his fi'icnd dismounted. But at a second glancc she round herself looking at Lord Lambeth, who was sl,aking hands with her sistcr. " 1 found hin over there," said Willie Woodley. "and I told him Son were bel-e." And then Lord Lambeth, tonchi**g 1,is lmt a little, shook hands witl Bessie. "Faney your being here" he said. was blnshing and smiling; he look- ed Vel.y land- some, and le a kind of splen- dot that he had hot had iii Alnerica. Bes- sic Aldell'S imagination, as we know, was just then in exereise; so that tle tall young Englislman, as lin stood tlere look- ing down at her, had the benefit of it. 103 "No, hot that. I want to go to the National Gallery again; I want to ste Stratford-on-Avon and Canterbury Ca- thedral. ]ht I should insist upon lis coming to see us no more." "That wonld be very modest and very pretty of you; but you wouldn't do it IIOW.  "Why do you say 'now .'" asked Bes- sic Alden. "IIave I eeased to be mod- est ?" " You eare for him too mueh. month ago, when you said yon didn't, believe it was quite truc. But t pres- ent, my dear child," said Mrs. Westgate, "you wouldn't find it qnite so simple a marrer never to see Lord Lanlbeth again. I have seen it eoming on." "Yon are mistaken," said Bebsie. "You don't understand." "My dea," elild, don't be perverse," rejoined her sister. "I know him better, eertainly, if mean that," said Bessie. "And I like him very mueh. But I don't like him enongh to make troulfle for lfim witl his family, iiowever, I don't believe in that." '" I like the way you say ' however,'" lt8 The duchess was a little flushed; she looked ail about thc roon, whilc her daughter turned to Bessie. "My brother told us you werc wonderfully clever." said Lady Pimlico. "IIc should have said my sistcr," Bessie answered--"when she says such things as that." " Shall you be long at Branches?" the duchess asked, abruptly, of tlm young girl. "Lord Lambeth has asked us for thrcc days," said ]3cssie. "_I shall go," thc duchess declared, "and my daaghter, too." "That will be char,ing!" Bessie re- joined. "Delightful !" murmured h[l'S. West- gate. " I shall expect to ste a great dcal of )'ou," the duchess coatinued. " Whcn I go to ]3ranches I monopolize my sons guests." "Thcy must be most happy," said Mrs. Wcstgatc, very graciously. "I want immensely to sec it--to see the castle," said Bcssie to tle duc]mss. "I have never seen onein England, at ]east; and you know we lmve none in America." 156 "Al,, you are fond of castles ," in- quired her Grace. "hnmensely !" replied the young girl. "If has been the dream of my life to lire in one." The duchess looked at her a moment, as if she hardly kncw how to take this assuranc% which, from ]mr Gracc's point of view, was either very artless or very audacious. "Vell," she said, rising, "" [ will show you Branches myself." knd 1M embarrasscd ; he was certainly very grave. " I ara sorry to have missed you. Won't you corne back '.;' she asked. "No," said the young man, "I can't. I have seen your sister. I can never eome baek." Tlen lin looked at ber a moment, and took her hand. "Good-bye, Mrs. Vestgate," he said. ': You have been very kind to me." And with wha she thought a strange, sad look in his handsome young face, he turned away. She went in, and she round Bessie still writing her letter--tlat is, Mrs. Westgate pereeived she was sitting at the table with the pen in lier land and hot writing. "Lord Lambeth has been here," said the elder lady at ]ast. Then Bessie go up and showed her a pale, serious face. She bent this face upon lier sister for some rime, eonfessing silently and a little pleading. "I told him," she said at last, "that we eould hot go to Branches." Mrs. Vestgate displayed just a spal'k of irritation. " IIc night have waited," she said, with a smile, " till one had seen the eastle." Later, an hour afterwards, she said, "Dear Bessie, I wish you might bave aeeepted him." 160 was hot preparcd at ail to like lutd oc- curred; but l'ercy Beaunont, on hem'- ing that the two ladies lmd left London, wondered with sonne intesity what had happenedwondercd, t]at is, until thc l)uchess of llayswater ea,m a little to his assistance. Tle two ladies went to l'aris, and Mrs. Westgate beguiled tle journey to that eity 1" repeating several ti,cs: "That's vlmg I regret; gley will t]il{ t]ey petrified us." But Bessie Alden seemed to regret nothing RETURN TO" CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 198 Main Stacks LOAN PERIOD 1 Home Use ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS. Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. Books may be renewed by calling 642-3405. DUE AS STAMPED BELOW. SEP ! 8 2005 AU6 1 8 006 FORM NO DD6 50M 1-05 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Berkeley, California 94720-6000