What Happened At A Christmas Gathering.

WHAT HAPPENED AT A CHRISTMAS GATHERING .

BY THE 0 P . 11 LUS T 0 MMNS 0 N . CHAPTER I . I am getting an oldish youth now , but have not quite lost , happily for myself , all " sentiment . " It is a vey bad thing for any one to lose his " sentiment , " because he becomes dry and hard , and callous , and cynical—indifferent alike to the charms of sympathy , or the attractions of the

beautiful . We come across , however , constantly that kindly disposition and that genial temperament which are so comely in themselves , especially in elderly people , and which make us all keenly sensible of all that is loving and " leal ; " of all that is fresh and fair , of all that is tender and true , in this rough battle of life . Whenever you encounter such a person—whether an old

boy or dn old ' gal permeated , " as the swell writer says , by an " emotional psychology , " — cultivate him or her at once . Depend upon it your time will not be thrown away , nor your pains in vain . Now I have not said this to puff myself . I am neither " laudator temporis acti " —at least not too much so—nor egotistical in any degree , but I merely think it well for

special and weighty reasons me thereto moving , to praise " sentiment , " because it is a main ingredient in this little story . I am like the eloquent speaker , who said once in pioposing " The Ladies " ( what stuff men will talk about women when they have a chance ) , " Sir , the man without sentiment is like a flat bottle of Bass I " There is a good deal of force , if not truth , in this illustration ,

commonplace and sensual as it may appear to some . It would possibly horrify Sir Wilfred Lawson , but pace that excellent man—though not a beer drinker myself—I believe that it is a generally admitted truth that a bottle of" Bass , " clear and amber-coloured , well-up , has many charms , not only for a " thirsty soul" and to " soothe the savage breast , " but for many very civilised bipeds to boot .

It was my lot to be invited to spend a Christmas—some time ago , alas ! now—in what Mrs . Hemans terms one of the " ancestral homes of England . " It was a fine old place , with a noble hall , and tapestried chambers , and a haunted room . It had many good features for inmates and visitors . Jemmy Miller , a young hero of the day , whom I met there , and of whom I knew something , said

it was a " rum old place , and as for that haunted room , " he added , " enough to frighten a fellow , you know ; they say , my old boy , it is a woman , who walks in and out of your bedroom and looks at you , and points at you , and goes to the right about and vanishes into thin air . One of our fellows who was here said he had his bedclothes taken off ; but between you and me and the wall , I think

he had been ' liquoring up . ' I like women in general , and one in particular , but I strongly object on principle to a female ghost . For you see , " he concluded speaking confidentially , " you don ' t know what to make of her . " Now , I have quoted these frank words of one of the dramatis persona ; because I think they well handle so spectral a subject .

Well , we had gradually assembled at the old hall ; a large party , too , from east and west , and north and south . There were some male and female parents ; there were some pleasant married couples , some very pretty girls , and plenty of young men , and altogether it was one of those Christmas gatherings you sometimes share in which are not without their sunny side ; not so much a family

party , as a miscellaneous collection of people who knew something of each other , and have met , not having a Christmas of their own to keep , to spend a merry Christmas in some hospitable mansion . There were of course , one or two bores , male or female ( what party is without them ?) , but still we had all reached our haven at last , one cold , raw , dreary , inhospitable day

outside , and were welcomed warmly within , as was ever their wont , by our kind host and hostess . The ladies are all gathering in a magic circle , in the long picture gallery , round the pleasant fire j and the gentlemen , who formed the " outer ring , " were standing or lounging about as men will do , receiving gratefully warm cups of tea from the hands of the ladies ; and then , being a little thawed ,

we all begin to talk . " I ' m blessed , " said old Jorum to me , " if I ever heard such a chattering . They declare women arc magpies , but I'll back men to gossip against them . " But I don ' t think that old Jorum is quite impartial in the matter , being very much under the influence of Mrs . Jorum , who has made him give up all his bachelor

opinions . Young Miller comes up to me and says , sotto voce , " Deuced fine woman Mrs . Jorum , but she is better horse a long way ; " and here the young rascal winks sagaciously at me and plunges into an animated conversation with the eldest Miss Barnstaple . After we had all talked and got cosy , and even yawned

—and one or two actually dozed—we all dispersed incontinently to our rooms , whence , after having duly dressed for dinner , we re-descended into the hall . When dinner was announced we all were marshalled in order and marched in double file , a manoeuvre which required no little tact on the part of our hostess , who , however , was equal to the occasion . We were all , at last , comfortably seated

in the cheery dining-room , and prepared to enjoy a good dinner . I had two very agreeable neighbours , as the Irishman said , " on each of my two sides , " Mrs . Jorum being one of them , and so I took stock of the compmy , as I was doing so well myself and the " coup d ' ceil" was

quite charming . Among other things which I noticed I saw that Jemmy was making himself very pleasant , as they say , to a very pretty young woman on his left , and was going ahead , she being , as the Germans say , evidently " zukommend . " But I also thought I observed that this innocent flirtation was not at all agreeable to the

What Happened At A Christmas Gathering.

fair Laura ' s right-hand neighbour , a ponderous and prosaic old gentleman—what mammas call a " safe man "—who was smitten with that fascinating gipsy , and was evidently thinking , too , that his " kismet" had come at last . He seemed to disapprove of Jemmy ' s proceedings , and ta consider him a very forward and offensive puppy—as these old boys

always do when they get spooney and a youngster comes in their way . But the happy Jemmy , all unconscious or little caring for the angry glance of the indignant Jamieson—for that was his name , D . Jamieson , M . P . ( old Jamie as we called him)— went on making hay while the sun shone , and much to the content of the " damosel , " though not equally so to her anxious mamma . On the left of

Jamieson , again , was a not disagreeable widow , who was said to be well off but bad tempered , both of which qualities for once were true . Jorum knew something about her , and had said to me , before dinner , in his curt sentences : " Bullied her husbamd , bullies her servant , often bad tempered old fellow fortyeight if she is a day I "

I know not why , but the demon of mischief or the goddess of " sentiment" suggested to me what a good thing it would be to couple together old Jamieson and Mrs . De Salis , and how needful it was and how prooer it would be to help Jemmy and his Laura , two young spoons . Laura ' s mamma—a stout old party , with too low a dress for my taste , but plenty of diamonds—had

been smiling when Jamieson talked to the perverse Laura , but had actually frowned , as mothers sometimes will do , when she turned a very ready ear to the insinuating and light-hearted Jemmy . Still I knew she was not a badhcarted old party , and as I was also well acquainted with pater L'Estrange I thought I might do Jemmy and Laura a good turn , if things got as they say , " serious . " So I

said to myself : " I will try for once to make the course oi true love run smooth in this rough world . " And so I turned to my fascinating neighbour , Mrs . Jorum , for her countenance advice . I knew that she was the most genial and tender-hearted of beings , so I felt sure of her assistance and approval . Nor was I mistaken , for she at once , after I had explained to her my ideas on the subject ,

kindly and fully said that it was an " imperative call of duty to pair those four people properly ; " and so we entered into a compact and concordat on the Subject forthwith , then and there , signed , sealed , and delivered . " It is quite clear to me , " she also remarked , " that old Jamieson and the widow would just suit each other ; and if she did bully Mr . De Salis , I don ' t think it will do

old Jamieson any harm . " Of course I replied that I thought it would do him a great deal of good j and so we both assented to the general proposition that it was a duty we owed to society and sentiment in general , and to Laura and Jemmy in particular . Dinner was over , the ladies retired , and the gentlemen

drew near to the host ' s end . We had a pleasant seance , though I observed that Jamieson did not draw near to Jemmy , and that Jemmy did not talk to Jamieson . "Oh I woman , " said I mentally , " what a wonderful institution you are ; what fools you make of men , geese that they be ! " When at last we went off , as a writer of an illregulated mind siys , " to coffee and crinoline . " 1

managed to get hold of old Jamieson , so as to let Jemmy take ground to the right and get a chair near Laura , to whom , I observed his advent seemed to afford unmitigated pleasure , if I might judge by those bright eyes of hers ; and I began a most interesting and confidential conversation with Jamieson about Mrs . De Salis . I knew at once that the old rascal listened ; that he was ready as

the French say to •' envisager" the whole question especially , as an old friend of mine used to say , if there are " Dibs" i i the matter it is wonderful how they sweep away difficulties . So I said casually to him , " Fine woman , Mrs . De Salis , and wonderfully well off for a widow ; £$ ooo a year jointure , £ 25 , 000 to do what she likes with , and a house of her own . "

Old Jamieson's eyes twinkled . "Very agreeable woman , " he slowly replied ; very neat looking , and well preserved , and becomingly dressed . Her hair is so good —and its all her own I By the way , Toinlinson , " he added immediately , " they say at the " Ulysses " that she is a queer-tempered woman . Admiral Hutton was an old messmate of DeSalis's in the Persephane , many years

ago , and he told me— " and here Jamieson lowered his voice , " that De Salis told him that if he had known what a deuced bad-tempered old gal she was , he would never have slung his hammock alongside of hers . " " Oh I " I said , "Jamieson , you can ' t believe Hutton , who is dreadfully afraid ot his own wife ; and club stories are always canards . All I can say is , if I had your

chance I would not throw it away . " " Do you really think that she is amiable and pleasant to get on with ? " asked poor old Jamieson again j and so I ventured to remark that " I will not say that ; and I admit that there is a flash in her eyes which says , * look out for squalls . " But you know , Jjamieson , " 1 also added , you can find all that out before you put your head into the

noose . If a chap can't find out before he marries whether his wife is good tempered or not , he deserves to be bullyragged all his life . " " What a pretty girl , " he then remarked , " Miss L'Estrange is . " " So she is , " I then said , " very pretty indeed ; but she has not much money—more ' s the pity . " This was not

quite true , but I considered it , under the circumstances , a white lie . 1 knew that Jamieson , like a good many other men you meet in society , thought his wife ought to have money , and would not marry without money . A sordid view in my opinion , but if is a popular view , and no doubt has some common sense at the bottom of it , as we cannot , it is quite clear , live on " sentiment , " though it would be a very base and dirty world without it .

What Happened At A Christmas Gathering.

Jamieson evidently felt what I had said , and after a little went and sat down by the beaming widow , who rewarded him with one of her sweetest smiles . " Yes , old girl , " I thought to myself , " those smiles are like a calm at sea , too often only the forerunners of a gale . But ' sufficient for the day is the evil thereof . ' " Old Jorum said , as we were retiring for the night , " Jemmy will win in a canter , but I am afraid poor old Jamieson will be heavily handicapped in the race . "

CHAPTER II . I left off my story at the end of our first day at Compton L'Estrange for so the old | manor-house was termed when the genial company were dispersing for the night . Some of the irreverent youth adjourned to thesmoking-room , and , when we elderly people had gone to our virtuous couches , were exhaling until early hours the fragant (?) weed , and

imbibing a mysterious compound termed "B . and S . " When we all assembled for breakfast in the morning , everybody seemed very cheerful except old Jamieson . I at first thought it was the mental conflict of the evening before between love in a cottage and love in " widow's weeds , " but young Miller whispered tome , "Old Jamieson has been in the haunted room , and I am quite sure he has

seen the ghost . " But as we were all talking and eating and drinking at the same time , no one had any leisure time for anybody else ' s grievances or mishaps . And I often think that the breakfast is the one meal of the day when many of us are inclined to be sulky and savage , and resent enquiry , and dislike confidence . Even the " gal " you adore does not always look benign at breakfast time ,

though I do not know why . Perhaps it is that we noble animals require our " pabuium corporis , " like those of a lower grade , and after feeding-time is over become civil and sociable and gregarious again . But this morning Jamieson ' s little melancholy was soon discovered by the buxom widow , who instantly began to pity and " proner " the old rascal , who , to say the truth , like most men , was

not averse to be petted and fussed over . I observed some sagacious looks passing between Jorum and Jemmy , and after we had all left the breakfast-room and the men had got into their morning-room , Jorum began pumping old Jamieson . " " By the way , Jamieson , " he said , " I hear you slept in the haunted room last night . Did you see anything ?"

Jamieson , who did not evidently relish the cross-questioning , said hastily , •' Oh no ; I slept very well , and saw nothing and heard nothing . " " Well , " replied Jorum , " I thought you was looking pale this morning . I have heard queer stories about that room . They say , "—he went on , not pretending to notice old Jamieson ' s fidgetting about— " that a woman appears

and gazes on you with a melancholy look . Come , Jamieson , " added Jorum , " tell us the truth old boy ; we won ' t peach . Did you sec something last night ?" Jamieson , who was evidently a little nervous , at last said to Jorum , in a lower key than usual , " Well , it is a fact ; I believe a woman did cross my room this morning early . "

" What was she like ? " said Jemmy Miller , in a tone no one could fail noting . " Well , " said old Jamieson , " I did not see exactly , for I was half asleep , and in a dreadful fright , but she looked like a woman in white . " " Stout or thin ? " said Jemmy again . Everybody laughed , and old Jamieson said , " Mr . Miller ,

none of your jokes on me . Its no laughing matter . I saw something , but what it was I can ' t say !" The conversation dropped . But the story soon got out among the ladies , and I felt pretty sure from their low laughs that Master Jimmy Miller and Miss Laura knew something about the matter . However , the discussion ceased , and we spent the day as people usually do in a

pleasant and comforta ' ile country house . When we all got together for tea in the afternoon , it was quite clear to me that Jamieson and Mrs . De Salis , and Jemmy and Laura had paired off like Dame D urden ' s serving maids and men . And so I said to jorum , " It all appears to be going on as one could most desire . " " Yes , " she replied ; " that ghost has done it . Mrs . De Salis has profuted by the occasion , and has convinced

Jamieson how undesirable is a batchelor's life , and how lonely and how unprotected , and how uncompaniable it is . 1 believe , if the ghost appeirs again , Jamieson will take and marry Mrs . De Salis off the reel , to keep off such nocturnal visitants . Whether he will be gainer or the loser by the transaction , time only can show . " " Well , but , " I said , " what has the ghost to do with it ?"

" Well , you see , " she replied , looking most mischievous , " old Jamieson is , I believe , an arrant old coward , and Mrs . De Salis has pluck—I won't say brass—for two ; and like all weak men—and you men are so weak , such poor creatures—he must lean on a woman . Now Mrs . De Salis is as bold as a lion , and fears no ghost and certainly has no alarm about a husband : " and here Mrs . Jorum

laughed again her merry laugh . " Look at them , " she said , " why those two old geese are getting quite tender . Well , I never 1 " Certainly Mrs . De Salis had played her cards well , and Jamieson was enraptured . Old Jorum came up and said , " It quite disgusting 1 " " What is , " asked Mrs . Jorum , " you most unsentimental of men ?"

Those two old donkies making love in that way . " " Bless my soul , " said Mrs . Jorum , " what creatures men are ! As if it was not necessary to sweeten the black diaught of life with a little coating of sugar or of gold . Jorum , I had expected better things of you , after all the instruction I have given you I Do you remember , Mr . Tomlinson , how loving a certain person was once upon a time ? " I bowed impressively , and she went on : "And