waters of Grace and Free-will; and the great Bellarmine was was far away in thought with David and his harp on the mountains of Judah. Father Molina died in 1600; Cardinal Bellarmine 1621; and for scholars under him Father Suarez had, of the Jesuit Order, the sweet Lessius and the holy Louis da Ponte. (To be continued.) MARCH IS HERE Winds are blowing loud and free, Buds unfold on spray and tree, Myriad blackbirds pipe and flute, And the new-sown grain takes root, Yellow blossomed aconite, Crocus's spears of puce and white To the music of the rills Saffron-gowned the daffodils Dance upon the windy hills March is here! Clouds of rose and crimson gay Herald in each dawning day, And the young lambs skip and play Without fear. Over pools as clear as glass, Lights and shadows flit and pass, Violets peep through the grass, March is here! MAGDALEN ROCK. A SILVER SHRINE By CONSTANCE E. BISHOP, "The Seventh Wave and other Soul Stories." A CHAPTER VI. T length the great day arrived when I was to make my first public appearance before my esteemed employers. My part was to assist Martin when he waited upon our master and mistress at the dinner table. Another gentleman was to dine with them. Our bungalow stood upon a high hill outside the town. Its compound was prettily laid out with gaily-coloured flowering shrubs: salad' trees, alamandas, hibiscus, Bongainvillia and stephanotis burgeoned therein our lattice-framed carriage entrance, without the portico, was covered with these last-named climbers. The verandah was edged with pots of maidenhair, and other ferns; eucharist lilies, freesias and tuber roses. Our mistress was a devout flower lover, and took great joy and pride in her fine plants. Within the compound were parterres of bright zinnias and canna: a fringe of casuarina trees encircled it and crested the brow of our red laterite hill-top. I delighted in the pleasing sighing sounds these trees give out at morn and eventide, when breezes lift up their gentle voices within the larch-like branches. From our hill-top the eye could travel westward across emerald paddy fields, swamps, and coconut plantations, to the ocean upon whose clear horizon steamers showed like tiny specks as they made their way up and down the water-way, passing to and fro from Bombay and Tuticorin. Below the hill lay Tiroderam town: India's garden city. Its buildings -snow-white or russet red, showed forth from out a sea of VOL. XLIII.-No. 501. 13 verdure, a mass of flowering and fruit trees, Jack, mango, plantain. From the back verandah of our bungalow one viewed the Ghauts cloud-capped and purple-hued by day; or gold and crimson in the rising sun: at night sombre, gloomy and ominous. The night, upon which I made my long prepared-for debut, was moonless. The vault of heaven showed pall-like: a tabernacle or tent of velvet gemmed with glittering sharp-cut stars. I loitered in the dining-room, putting finishing touches to the table decoration: Martin was busy in the butler's pantry just outside: a screen of turkey-red muslin separated the two apartments. I was very happy; vain of my spotless muslin turban, draperies, and long white drill coat. It made me feel proud and confident to realise that I should at last see master and missus at close quarters instead of in that dim distance in which I hitherto had viewed them. I was clean, for a good hot tub had been provided for me. Also I had rubbed up my hidden treasure: it glowed as it reposed upon my bare bosom beneath the cotton coat. Lately I had examined my find more closely: it was two inches across; round, and chased with three letters whose curious form I had been obliged to study carefully before I was certain what they really represented. Wreathed in a monogram this I.H.S. utterly puzzled me: what it betokened I could not divine. It was part of the mystery of that magic thing that I had grown to love intensely for the sake of the Friend Who I was sure lived within it. When by chance I said a bad word or told a bold untruth, He seemed to tap from within His mansion: when I was tempted to steal these taps were vehement. Evidently He did not like such doing, yet why I could not clearly understand: however I always endeavoured to respect and attend to His warnings. Therefore musing upon these and other more worldly matters-I touched up the table decorations, trying to make them even more perfect than they already were. The bright light from the central lamp, with its pagoda-like silvery fringed rose-tinted silken shade, shone upon glass and silver, and over a veritable parterre of many-coloured flower petals which I had arranged in a graceful geometrical design. Bright floral rays extended to the four corners of the table, and there were grouped in pretty patterns. Presently a carriage drove up to the portico: I heard master's voice as he welcomed his guest: then the patter of punkah wallah's footsteps; his rustle as he squatted tailor fashion upon the matted verandah and began to pull the heavy punkah. Martin clapped his hands; at this signal cook's matey ran into the pantry, soup tureen in hand. Then butler struck a gong; opening the double row of screens which divided the dining from the vestibule and drawing-room, he cried in his sonorous voice: "Dinner is served my lady!" Our mistress entered alone, and master followed her with their guest. At the appearance of this stranger I nearly dropped to the ground with nervousness. For indeed he might have passed for the holy man whose dead body I had rifled on the moonlit dacoity road! The curious dress of red-brown serge was indeed identical with that of the murdered man; but this person's hair was of a lighter colour; his beard was finer; he had a pale skin, and very bright blue eyes. No doubt this also was a magician. I hoped he did not possess that gift of double vision, which some fakirs have, which enables them to trace thieves and discover hidden treasure. I trembled for the safety of my locket. But no; he chatted to his host and smiled pleasantly: of myself he was oblivious. It was my work to hand to butler those things which cook-matey passed to me from the pantry: I merely stood on duty like a sentry or manikin; a useful dummy but no more. Still, having eyes and ears, I used them freely for this episode was an exciting and interesting one for me. I actually saw English people eat their dinner! It was a pretty sight; the conversation, too, was interesting. Our lady was wonderfully lovely. She was a little, fairhaired aristocrat; very pale, with large, gentle grey eyes, tiny ears and nose; and small, red, smiling mouth. She resembled a very delicate wax doll. Her gown was composed of pale blue silk filled in at the neck with silvery gauze whereon shone and sparkled a splendid diamond pendant. She wore diamond, ruby and sapphire rings upon her slender fingers. The air of fatigue that always hung about her suited her admirably. She had none of the strong, rough, mannish manners which so many English ladies seem to assume. Our mistress rode out quite early every morning on a pegu pony as a gentlewoman should: golf and lawn tennis were tabooed by her, and, to my mind, rightly. Ayah told me that her graceful tastes and manners were due to the fact that she was half French by birth. She was always daintily gowned, and had almirahs full of lovely dresses. Our master was of a different type: a Scotchman and far older than his lady. Being of lowly birth, he looked up to and revered his consort; treating her with as great a devotion and respect as though she were the great white queen herself. He never thwarted her wishes nor contradicted her in any way she commanded her husband, and Martin and Ayah too; the other servants were beneath her notice as a rule. Her name was Angela, but master called her Angel.' He was tall and strong and broad, with black curly hair, a stiff moustache and big black eyes. Our mistress was seated at the head of the table; the magicman sat at her right hand, master on her left. She ordered butler in a wonderful way by movements of her eyelids: she never spoke to him. Generally instinct told Martin what to do and not to do: when in doubt he kept his eyes respectfully turned to mistress. He popped corks from linen-shrouded, ice-cold bottles, and poured forth the foaming amber-coloured wine into long stemmed glasses. I was surprised when I saw the guest drink of this beverage, and decided in my own poor ignorant mind that he could not be uncommonly holy after all. The company eat and talked and laughed most pleasantly. All went well. How well I can recall the remarks which I heard made and to which I listened, half wisely but mostly without understanding. "I hope you will like Tiroderam, Father Adrian," said my lady to her guest, whose rough russet serge contrasted so strangely with her own exquisite attire. "It is a great consolation to us all to have an English priest: but, I forget, you are, like myself, half French I fancy." The monk, for so I afterwards understood him to be, assented, smiling courteously. |