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Show I l I Elfcfl BY RQBBRT LQUjS STEVEW8QN.1lZX3 ' I INTERNATIONAL PflESS ASSOCIATION. I CIIAI'TER II. fl fl U0UT ha,f Past tcn I i4 " waB J'in'8 brovo ' " IlSI Bowl Tortuno lo of- g$f fer hla aria to Miss jfMJ Mackenzie, and cs-WaC cs-WaC cort 'icr omo- T1, $oiS nlRht was chill and $jq etarry; all tho way J eastward tho trees of. tho different gnr- denB rustled and looked black. Up tho I ttono pully ot Lclth Walk, when thoy I ntno to cross It, tho breeze made a I rmsh and set tho flames of tho street I bunps quivering; and when at last thoy I bad mounted to tho Royal Terrace, I whoro Captnln Mackenzie lived, a great I wit freshness camo In their faces from I ttio sea. Thcso phascB of tho walk I remained written on Jolm'8 memory, I eaoh ompbaslzcd by tho touch of that I fiht hand on his arm; and behind all I thoeo nspects ot tho nocturnal city ho I Mir, la his mind's oyo, a picture ot I Uio llghtod drawing room at homo I 'whero ho had sat talking with Flora; Kk- and hlo father, from tho other end, HWf had looked on with a kind and Ironl- 7 fin Bmllo. John had read tho slgnlfl- ' icdJioo of that smile, which might havo I 'souped a stranger. Mr. Nicholson had, I romarkod his son's entanglement with I mtlsfactlon, tinged with humor; and I kits smile, If It was a thought con- I tompluous, had implied consent. I j At tho captain's door tho girl held I oat her hand, with a certain emphasis; Und John took it and kept It a little I longer, and said, "Good-night, Flora, I '4ear," and was Instantly thrown into I moh fear by his presumption. But he only laughed, ran up tho stops and I tuuig the bell; and whllo she was walt-I walt-I Jng for tho door to open kept close in I tho porch, and talked to him from that 8 paint as out ot a fortification. She had a. knitted Bhnwl over her head; her bluo Highland eyes took tho light from tho B neighboring street lamp and sparkled; od when tho door opened and closed H upon her John felt cruelly alono. I Ho proceeded slowly back along the torrnco In a tender glow; and when I to camo to Grcenslde Church ho halt- ed In a doubtful mind. Over tho crown f tho Calton Hill, to his left, lay tho I way to Oollctte'B.wlure A!an would soon H be looking tor his arrival, and where H he would now havo no moro consented H ' to go than ho would have willfully wal-H wal-H lowed In a bog; tho touch of the girl's H band on his slcovo, and the kindly H light in his father's eyes, both loudly H forbidding. But right boforo him was Pi the wny homo, which pointed only to pt , .. bod, n placo of little cuso for one whoso HLh fancy was Rtrung to Uio lyrical pitch, BP, and" whoso not very ardent heart was Pj ufit than tumiiltuously moved. Tho hill B top, tho cool air of, tho night, tho coin-P coin-P "any of tho groat monuments, tho sight B ot tins city under his feet, with Its hllU Hj and valleys and crossing flies of lamoa, B drow him by all ho had ot tho poetic, B Mid ho turned that way; and by that B qulto innocent deflection ripened tho B crop ot his venial orrors for the sickle B of destiny. B On a Boat on tho bill above G recti - Bj oido ho Bat for perhaps half an hour, B looking down upon tho lamps of Ertln- Bj burg, and up at tho lamps ot heaven. Bj Wonderful wcro tho resolves ho Bj formed! beautiful and kindly wcro tho Bj rlatas ot futuro llfo that sped be fori. Bj him. Ho uttered to himself tho name Bj ot Flora in so many touching and dra- Bj natlo keys that ho became nt length Bj fairly melted with tendorness, and Bj could have sung aloud. At that junc- Bj turo a certain creasing in hla grcat- BJ coat caught his cor. Ho put hla hand Bj. Into his pocket, pulled forth tho en- BJ retope that held tho money, and sat BJ atupeflcd. The Calton Hill, about this BE period, hod nn lll-namo of nights; and BJ to bo sitting thero with four hundred BJ pounds that did not belong to him was Bj hardly wise. 'Ho looked up. There BE won a man in a vory bad hat a little B n ono sldo of him, apparently looking B at tho scenery; from a Uttlo on tho Bk other a second nlght-walkor was draw- Bft Ing very quietly near. Up jumped BBLm John. Tho envelope foil from his BHj hands; ho stooped to get it, and at tho H aamo moment both mon ran In aud dotted with him. A little after ho got to his feet very I aoro and shaken, tho poorer by a purse B -which contained exactly ono ponny postage stamp, by a cambric handkor-B handkor-B -chief, and by tho all-Important cnvcl- ovo. Pj Hera was a young man on whom, nt V Uio highest point ot lovorly oxnlta- Uon, thero had fallen a blow too bharp P to bo supported alono; sndrotmanyhun D drcd yards awny hla greatest friend was m ittiiig at supper ay, and oven expect- lag him. Was It not in tho nature ot uinn thnt ho should run thero? Ho wont In queBt of sympathy in quest ot that droll artlclo that wo all suppose ourselves to want when In a Htralt, and havo agreed to call ndvico; and he wont, besides, with vaguo but rather uplcndld expectations- of relief. Alan was rich, Sr would be so when ho camo of ago. Uj n stroke of tho pen ho might remedy this tnlsfortuno, and avert that dreaded In-jtqrviow In-jtqrviow with Mr. Nicholson, from .which John now shrunk In imagination wi tho hand draws back from llro. CIoho under tho Calton Hill thero S runs a certain nnrrow avenuo, part btrcet, part by-road Tho head of It BL. ., faooa tho doofs of tho prison; lt tall &tZ3fe& descends Into tho sunless slums of tho Wr I'Ow Calton, . On ono hand It Is over-K over-K hung by tho crags ot tho hill, on tho H bthcr b) an old gravoynrd. Between jB M'cso two tho rondway runs In a trench, flpareoly llghtod at uight. eparoly fro- quented by day, and bordered, when It was cleared tho place of tonibs, by dingy nnd ambiguous houses. Ono of those was tho house of Colette; and nt his door our Ill-starred John was presently pres-ently beating for admittance. In an ovll hour ho satisfied tho Jealous Inquiries In-quiries ot tho contraband hotelkeeper; In an ovll hour ho penetrated Into tho Bomowhnt unsavory Interior. Alan, to bo sure, was there, seated In a room lighted by noisy gas Jots, beside a dirty tablecloth, engaged on n coarse meal, and" In tho company ot several tipsy members of tho Junior bar. But Alan was not sober; ho had lost a thousand pounds upon a horse race, had received tho news at dinner time, nnd was now, In default of any posslblo means of extrication, drowning the memory of his predicament. He to help John! The thing was impossible; he couldn't help himself. "If you havo n beast of n father," said ho, "I can tell you I havo a brute of a trustee." "I'm not going to hear my father called a beast," said John, with a beating beat-ing heart, feeling that ho risked the last sound rlvot of the chain tbnt bound him to life. But Alan was qulto good-natured. "All right, old fellow," said he. "Mos' rospcc'ablo man your father." And he Introduced his friend to his companions as "old Nicholson the what-d'yo-call-um's son." John sat In dumb agony. Colette's foul walls and maculnto tablp linen, and even down to Colette's villainous casters, seemed llko objects in a nightmare. night-mare. And Just then there came a knock and a scurrying; tho police, so lamentably absent from tho Calton Hill, appeared upon the scene; and the party, taken flagranto dcllctu, with tholr glasses at their elbow, were seized, mnrched up to tho police office, and all duly summoned to appear as witnesses in tho consequent case against that arch-shobcener. Colette. It was a sorrowful and a mightily sobered company that camo forth again. Tho vaguo terror ot public opinion weighed generally on them all; but thero wore private and particular horrors hor-rors on tho mlnds'of Individuals. Alan stood In dread of his trustee, already sorely tried. Ono of tho group was tho son of a country minister, another of a Judge; John, tho unhapplest of all, had David Nicholson to fathor, tho Idea of facing whom on such a scandalous scan-dalous BUbJcct was physically sickening. sicken-ing. Thoy stood a whllo consulting under un-der tho butrcsses of Saint Giles; thenco they adjourned to tho lodgings of one of tho number In North Castlo street, whoro (for u matter) they might have had qu . as good a supper, and far better drink, than In tho dangerous paradise from which they had been routed. There, over an almost tearful glass, they dobated their position. Each explained ho had tho world to lose It tho affair wont on, nnd he appeared r.a n witness. It was remarkable what bright prospects wcro Just then in the vory net of opening beforo each of that Uttlo company of youths, nnd what pious consideration for the feelings of their families began now to well from them. Each, moreover, was In an odd stato of destitution. Not ono could bear his share of tho fine; not ono but evinced a wonderful twinkle of hopp that each of the others, (In succession) wns tho very man whb could Btep in to mnko good the deficit. Ono took a high hand; ho could not pay hla share; If It went on to a trial ho should bolt; ho had always felt tho English bar to bo his truo sphere. Another branched out Into touching details about his family, and was not listened to. John, In the midst ot this disorderly disorder-ly competition ot poverty nnd meanness, mean-ness, sat stunned, contemplating tho mountain bulk ot his misfortunes. At last, upon n pledge that each should apply to his family with a common com-mon frankness, this convention of unhappy un-happy young asses broke up, went down tho 'common stair, and In tho gray of tho spring morning, with tho streets lying dead empty all about them, tho lamps burning on Into tho daylight In diminished luster, and tho birds beginning to sound premonitory notes from tho groves of tho town gardens, gar-dens, went each his own way with bowed head and echoing footfall. The rooks were awnko In Ilandolph Crescent;' but tho windows looked down, discreedy blinded, on tho return re-turn of tho prodigal. John's pass-key was n recent privilege; this waB tho first tlmo It had been used; and, ohl with what a clckonlng sense ot his un-worthiness un-worthiness ho now inserted It into the well-oiled lock nnd entered tho citadel ot tho proprieties) All slept; tho gas In tho hall had been left faintly burning burn-ing to light his return; a dreadful stillness still-ness reigned, brokon by tho deep ticking tick-ing of tho eight-day clock. Ho put tho gas out, nnd sat on n chair In the hall, waiting and counting tho minutes, longing for any human countenance CHAPTER III. iT N011' AFTER Sk llv&n breakfast, at which tiPzt y$sA ho assisted with' a l3iWhlBhIy traB'cal flf Bumably In rcll- 'ZSfixir Kous meditation,' Wf on tho Sabbath Y' v ' mornings. Tho old gentleman looked up with that sour Inquisitive expression that camo so near to smlltne cud was so different in effect. "This la n tlmo when I do not llko to Ibo disturbed," ho said. J "I know that," returned John; "but I havo I want I'vo made a dreadful mess of it," ho broke out; and turned to tho window. Mr. Nicholson sat silent for nn np-"preclablo np-"preclablo tlmo, whllo his unhnppy Bon Btirvoyed tho poles In the back greon, and a certain yellow cat that was perched upon tho wall. Despair sat upon up-on John as he gazed; and lie raged to think of tho dreadful series of his misdeeds, mis-deeds, and tho essential Innocenco that lay behind them. "Well," said his father, with an obvious obvi-ous effort, but In very quiet tones, "what Is ll?" "Maclean gave mo four hundred pounds to put In tho bank, sir," began John; "and I'm Borry to say that I'.vo been robbed of It!" "Robbed of It?" cried Mr. Nicholson, with a strong rising Inflection. "Robbed? Bo careful what you say, John!" "I can't Bay nnythlng else, sir; I was Just robbed of It," said John, In desperation, des-peration, suddenly, "And where nnd when did this extraordinary ex-traordinary event tako plnco?" inquired in-quired tho father. "On tho Calton Hill about twelve last night." "Tho Calton Hill?" repeated Mr. Nicholson. "And what were you do-ltg do-ltg thero nt such a time of tho nlght7" "Nothing, sir," Bays John. Mr. Nicholson diow his breath. "And how camo tho money In your hands at twelvo last night?" ho asked sharply. "I neglected that piece of business," said John, anticipating comment; nnd then In his own dialect: "I clean forgot for-got all about It" "Well," said his father, "It's n most extraordinary story. Hnvo you com municated with tho police?" "I have," answered poor John, tho blood leaping to his face. "They think they know tho men that did it. I dare say the money will bo recovered, if that was all," said he, with a desperate desper-ate indifference, which his father set down to levity; but which sprung from tho consciousness of worse behind. "Your mother's watch, too?" asked Mr. Nicholson. "Oh, the watch Is nil right!" cried John. "At least, I mean I was coming to the watch the fact Is, I am ashamed to say, I I had pawned tho watch beforo. be-foro. Hero Is tho ticket; they didn't find that; the watch can bo redeemed; they don't pell pledges." Tho lad panted pant-ed out these phrases, ono after another, like mlnuto guns; but nt the last word, which rang In that stately chamber like an oath, his heart failed him utterly, ut-terly, and tho dreaded silence sottled on father and son. It was broken by Mr. Nicholson picking pick-ing up the pawnticket; "John Froggs, 85 Pleasance," he read; and then turning turn-ing upon John, with a brief flash of passion and disgust, "Who Is John Froggs?" he cried. "Nobody," said John. "It wns Just a name." "An alias," hla father commented. "Oh! I think scarcely quite that," said tho culprit; "It's a form, Ihey all do It, the man seemed to understand, we hat! a great deal of fun over the name " Ho paused at that, for ho saw his father wince at the picture llko a man physically struck; and again there was silence.' (TO II B CONTI.VUKH.I |