Mademoiselle Aoremac; Or, The Power Of Song.

ment ever built—nnd also engaged a teacher for her . And was not he amply rewarded when a little more than twelve months after , on the anniversary of his own birthday she gave a concert in his honour , playing and singing a song she had practised in secret , " The March of the Cameron men , " as it was a favourite of his , he joining in the chorus much to her delight , and Jamie Grant doing his best to swell

the volume of sound with voice and violin . \ v hen Peg , as her father and intimates called her , began to learn music she had to impart her knowledge to her friend , and he having an old violin that had been his father ' s , set to work to keep pace with her , ami by dint ot much practice and painstaking overcame the difficulties of his instrument ancl mauy a musical evening they had , such as that with which our

story opens . But it was their last , and a cloud seemed to hang over them , and though both made a show of indifference they felt the parting more keenly than they would have cared to acknowledge . The g irl was the more successful in her assumption of coolness and kept her feelings more under control , for she wanted to make tho

parting less painful to him . " I will be sure to hear from Auntie how you are getting on , and no doubt you will hear from her how we are keeping ; " she called his relative " Auntie , " as a matter of course , as she had known her from childhood . And so they parted . But the nig ht watches were far spent before a heart-stricken maul sobbed herself into the blessed forgetfulness of slumber .

CHAPTER II .

' * Friend after friend departs . " Angus Cameron , the father of our heroine , was a mechanical engineer , and was employed at an engineering factory in thc neig hbourhood . He was a shrewd , intelligent individual , and was much respected by his fellow workmen , and treated with great consideration by his employers . He had a vast store of information

on various subjects , and between him and his daughter there existed more of an equal companionship than is generally found between parent and child , and to this and her fondness of reading may bc attributed the rather sententious or old-fashioned style of speech and manner she affected . A thoroughbred Scot , it was only on the rarest occasions she lapsed into the homel y Doric , and her talk like that of

Invernessians generally , was free from auy provincial twang 01 drawl , but her rendering of the songs of her country was such as only a native can attain to . In figure she was tall and slender , and though she could hardly be called beautiful , she had a very pleasing and winning expression , her eyes were large and lustrous , but her nose was perhaps too unobtrusive while it was decidedly "tip tilted , " as the late Laureate has it , giving her a somewhat piquant expression .

The mouth , however , amply compensated for the diminutiveness of the other organ , and yet it was not ungainly , and when she spoke her face was lit up with a charming expression , for the beauty of her soul animated her countenance and shone in her features , to which her golden hair formed a very aureola . From her friend , . lames Grant , who was an assiduous student , she got the loan of the best books which they generally read and discussed together , and thus her mind was gradually developed in " wisdom , strength , and beauty . "

After the departure of her companion , 1 eggy sought to torget her sorrow in her household duties , but she found that her work was not so engrossing as to demand the whole of her attention , and she often found her thoughts wandetiug in the direction of the " Modern Athens . " Sometimes she would take her sewing and drop iu on Auntie for company , and as they chatted in the back shop , the old

lady would grow garrulous upon the doings of her " laddie . " Occasionall y she would read a portion of his weekly letter , and not unfrequently there was a paragraph of particular interest or even a message to Peggy . The following , for instance , was intended more for her delectation than her aunt ' s . ' Our Editor , " lie wrote , " is a

great friend of Thackeray , and during the hitter ' s absence from England on account of ill-health , edited his ' English Humourists , ' and added such copious notes that * Thackeray declared they were the most valuable part of the work . His name is James Hannay , and he is an nut hor of some repute himself , having written a very

Mademoiselle Aoremac; Or, The Power Of Song.

successful novel , ' Singleton Fontenoy , R . N ., ' and ' Sketches in Ultramarine , ' both of which I will send to Peggy shortly . I had occasion to see him the other day , and on learning my name he asked ' any connection of ' Tho Romance of War ? ' meaning James Grant , ' the author of that well-known novel . I told him I was not , and that I came from Inverness , when he asked if I knew "Carruthers . " I said

yes , it was on Mr . Carruthers' recommendation that I had been appointed to the Courant . Then he asked if 1 bad ever met Thackeray , 1 said I had not . ' Well , ' said he , ' he is the double of Carruthers , they are as like each other as the two Dromios . ' ' All this , ' said the old lady , 'I dont understand , but no doubt you do , and it is evidently interesting both to yon and to him . '"

" I am glad , said Peg , " he writes m such good spirits and that ho seems to like the work and the people . " " Oh , yes , he speaks , or rather writes about them as being jolly fellows to work with , and particularly mentions a big man of the

name of Smith as an awfully comical fellow , and another , let ' s see what his name is , oh , yes , ' Farnie , our sub-editor , who is everlastingly writing plays and concerns himself more about the plot of a play than the politics of the party . ' "

" I suppose you will follow him one of these days auntie , he will be taking a house and installing you as housekeeper . " "Well , dearie , he ' s been more than hinting at something of the sort , ho says lodgings are dear , and not very comfortable , and he says he is sure 'I would liko to live in Edinburgh . "

" I am sure you would , it would bo very nice for both you and him , " said Peg , although she could not but feel that with the removal of the aunt the connecting link between her and Jamie would be broken . And it did come to pass , and the link was severed , for within a year of young Grant going to Edinburgh his aunt disposed of her business , and with her goods and chattels to furnish a Hat he had taken , she left for the metropolis of Scotland .

With her departure Peggy felt more lonely than before , still she went about her work apparently as cheerfully as was her wont , for had she not her father to minister to . To the study of music she applied herself more assiduously than ever , for the loss of her other friends made her reflect , and say to herself— " If anything were to

happen to father I would have to earn my own living , and I think I would succeed better in music than anything else , " so she set herself to study with a purpose , and found a solace in so doing , and in this uneventful manner mouth succeeded month , the monotony being broken occasionally by the arrival of a copy of the Courant when there was anything of special interest for her in its columns . At

rare intervals , too , a book would find its way , and this would be devoured its food by the hungry soul . But this monotony was soon going to be changed , a crisis in her life was at hand , though she knew it not . A short letter on the eve of his departure as a member of an exploration party to which he had been appointed , and a promise to write from abroad , seemed to ring the knell of utter separation between her and James Grant .

One evening her father came home earlier than usual , and told her that their firm had failed , and the whole of the hands had got their discharge . " It will be a sail * blow to many , especiall y them wi' big families , " was his . summary , as he considered the calamity as it affected others rather than himself . " But we have the future to

think o ourselves , and though we can make a shift to live for a time on what ' s laid by , yet I niaunna lose time in looking out for another job . There ' s nae work tae be had here , so I'll ' ecu hae tae tak' the road , any gang frae toon tae toon , frae factory tae factory , till I find something tae due ; but it will be very lonely for you while I ' m away , I fear me—Peg , hiss . "

" Oh , never mind me , lather , 1 can always find something to occupy myself with , and maybe you will soon get work , and then we'd be together again . " " Ay , lass , ye ' re aye brave and hopeful , and I trust 1 may be as successful ns you wish . " "Ye'U never fuil , father , remember ye ' re « , Camuvon , and , us the . song says , " a Cameron never can yield . "

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