The Vicar of St. Nicholas'

Front matter

a 3B£ tbe Same Hutbor BALLYRONAN Crown Svoy cloth gilt, 6s. Second Edition 1 A wonderfully interesting story. The plot is carefully constructed, and the author handles it with much ability, holding the attention of the reader closely to the end.' — Scotsman. ('The tale is related with considerable literary ability, and the various characters are drawn boldly and with a true touch of nature that arrests attention and keeps up the interest till the last chapter. The plot is cleverly conceived, and the various episodes are written with spirit and with considerable knowledge of the places which the author describes so well.' — Public Opinion. 4 There is abundant humour and no lack of incident about " Bally ronan." Rupert Alexander writes vigorously, and the many char acters in Eallyronan are sharply individualised and full of actuality.' —Black and White. 1 There is an unmistakably Irish atmosphere — not the manufac tured, but the real — about "Eallyronan"; and Father Tim, Sam Casey and old Betty are beyond a doubt indigenous to the soil.' — Glasgow Herald. 'Mr Alexander has given us in " Ballyronan " one of the most vividly picturesque presentations of Irish life and character we have read for a long while.

Mr Alexander may be congratulated on having produced a work of great and intense interest.' — Bradford Observer. ' One feature of the book deserves commendation, and that is the faithful rendering of the Irish peasant vernacular. The story bespeaks an intimate personal knowledge of the people, not only in regard to their speech, but also to many of their characteristic ways and customs.' — Literary World. ' The story is a piece of good , solid work. A pair of capital char acters are Father Tim and Rev. Mr Cook. Their beautiful charity makes us wish it were so in real life.' — Aberdeen Free Press. DIGBY, LONG & CO., Publishers, London BY RUPERT ALEXANDER AUTHOR OF ' BALI.VRONAN,' ETC. Xonoon DIGBY, LONG & CO., PUBLISHERS 1 8 Bouverie Street, Fleet Street, E.C. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. JAMES AND JOHN, ... j II.

CHERRY PIE, . . _ q III. THE VICAR OF ST NICHOLAS', . . ( 7 IV. ROSE BANTHORPE'S JEWELS, ... 25 V. SUSPICIONS, .... .36 VI. SHADOWED, , . . .» . .44 VII. 'TWO 'ITTY NIGGIES,' .... 56 VIII. 'ODLD KITTY!' ..... 64 IX. THE NEW GOVERNESS, ... 77 X. THE ANGELS COME, .... 84 XI. PARTINGS AND MEETINGS, .... 93 XII. THE WIDOW SCORES, . . . . IO3 XIII. THE TWINS IN GRIEF, . . . .110 XIV. mabel's toast, . . . . .117 XV. dolly's gee-gee proposes, . . .124 XVI. bertie's gee-gee follows suit, . . 133 XVII. diamond rings, ..... 140 XVIII. asking advice, ..... 147 XIX. old friends fall out, .... 156 CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE XX. beside the carnations, .... 165 XXI exchange is no robbery, . . . 171 XXII. ON the 'comet,' . . . 180 XXIII. MEG TRELAWNEY, ..... 187 XXIV. 'MAN OVERBOARD!' . . . 197 XXV. LENA COOPER, .... - 206 XXVI.

Chapter I James And John

James Mullholland, Esq., of Holland Park, stood six feet two inches in his stockings, and only for the stoop in his shoulders would probably have marked quite another inch. Little Dolly Slater, a neighbour's daughter, many a time rode aloft on his shoulders, holding on like grim death to his head, wondering however she had managed to arrive at such an exalted position, and perplexed as to how she was ever to set foot on earth again ; the being there was pleasant and exciting at all times, it was the ascent and descent that Dolly at first dreaded. John Hawthorne, Esq., of Hazlewood, was short and stout — very short and very stout ; ' five feet three and three quarters ' he declared himself, but nasty-minded, envious people — and there are nasty-minded, envious people here below — suggested that he must have had ' at least a dozen pairs of stockings on.' Bertie, Dolly's twin brother, found it an utter extravagance of labour attempting to get his wee legs round John Haw thorne's waist in his juvenile attempts to climb to the good man's shoulder, but, once having arrived there, he could make himself very comfortable on his 'gee-gee.' a ' I'ze up 'fore 'oo a long time ! ' little Dolly would scream, and toss her golden curls back, her blue eyes glistening with childish glee, as she clambered up the leg, the side, the shoulder of her devoted friend. ' 'Oo has farder to go dan me, but my gee-gee is so fat and stout dat I tan't tlimb up prop'ly,' Bertie would retort, as he dug his little feet into Hawthorne's fat sides in his attempt to mount. ' Me's warm up here, Bertie ! . . .

Me near de sky ! . . . 'Oo cold down dare, near de world ! . . • 'Oo can't touch my boot, 'oo naughty boy ! . . 'Oor gee-gee too fatty fat to wun ; but my nicey gee-gee — Ha, ha, ha ! Ha, ha, ha ! ' and Dolly would scream with laughter as Mullholland capered round and round, followed by Hawthorne and his burden — the burden laying on with his heels and crying, — ' My gee-gee comfortabler dan 'oor's ! . . . Me no fall off! . . . Me no 'fraid like 'oo ! ' Dolly and Bertie, twins, about five \ears of age — Dolly was the first born and prided herself on her seniority — were the children of the Rev. George Slater, Rector of the Parish of Knockroe, and Mrs Slater. The Rectory, an ivy-covered, old-fashioned house, stood about midway between the entrance gates to Holland Park and Hazlewood. It was on the opposite side to them of a quiet country road, so that it was quite safe and easy for the twins to go — one to the right to Hazlewood, the other to the left to Holland Park — to pick up their respective gee-gees on appointed occasions ; then all four would meet somewhere in the grounds for their almost daily romp.

Why do little women so frequently choose big men for their life partners ? ' A very strange question ! ' you remark, and add, ' Don't know.' Well, neither do I, but they do all the same, don't they? Little Dolly Slater, with the golden hair and the blue eyes, was as jealous, in her own way, of big Mullholland as was ever little woman jealous of big man ; no one dared make too free with him in her presence — not even Bertie, who was privileged sometimes. JAMES AND JOHN 3 ' 'Oo go way from my gee-gee ! ' she would cry, if Bertie in his anxiety to explore warmer regions attempted to mount the wrong gee-gee, ' I'ze older dan 'oo, and 'oo a bad . . . bad . . . boy . . . Bertie ! ' and her lovely eyes would flash, her plump little cheeks would flush, and she'd pull Bertie fiercely away from the long thin man she loved ; not without a struggle at times — it was Bertie's ambition to mount to the long man's shoulder unaided, but he was too proud to solicit permission even from Dolly.

On one occasion, while mounted on her gee-gee's shoulders, Dolly saw Bertha Noble hold up her bright young face for her uncle and guardian to kiss, and she gave way to such a passion of grief, clinging round the good man's head and face, that he had to hurry away with her to soothe her among the flowers in the sunshine ; for many a day the jealous little maiden fought shy of sweet Bertha, who strove to win her over with all manner of bribes — which Dolly accepted — but failed. James Mullholland was a bachelor of fifty-eight, and John Hawthorne was a bachelor of fifty-nine. ' The long and the short of it ' someone called them once, and the joke spread, but, as a rule, people spoke of them as ' James and John.' Holland Park and Hazlewood adjoining each other in the County of Cork, were within easy driving distance of the famous city of the same name, and their respective owners had known each other almost as long as they had known themselves.

The grounds in which the houses stood were separated by a narrow, fern-bedecked stream of fair depth, across which a handsome, ornamental metal bridge was thrown to suit the convenience of the two friends who met almost every day. Mullholland's father, when he died, left his son a very con siderable fortune made in ' corn.' John Hawthorne's sire, when he went over to the majority, left his son equally well off, and up to this, at least, James and John had lived very idle, very careless, and very happy lives, toying with the silver spoons they had found in their mouths when born. They walked together, smoked together, dined together, fished together, shot together, rode together, and together hoped to end their days in peace — friends always ! Men propose, but women and God dispose ! Holland Park, standing in an enclosure of about ten acres, most of which was tastefully laid out and planted with various shrubs and trees, was presided over by Bertha Noble — twenty-one years of age, Mullholland's niece, an orphan.

Hazlewood was not quite so pretentious in style, but was what was called ' a sweet spot ' by all who knew it. The owner of Hazlewood had no graceful orphan niece to take the house off his hands, but he had an orphan nephew — Leonard Digby by name — who had just completed his time with a leading firm of solicitors. A lady-housekeeper was in charge — a pretty little lady-housekeeper she was, too — a clergyman's widow, who, because she had married the man she loved, was cast off by her rich relations and left desolate and alone on her husband's death. There were others in the Parish of Knockroe over which the Rev. George Slater presided in a spiritual capacity, and they, as well as others, will take their places, be introduced, and make their bows. Don't be too hard on them when you meet them ; and now to my story. ' When do you expect Leonard, Hawthorne ? ' inquired Mullholland of his friend, as they sat smoking after dinner on the first of June.

Bertha had dined with them, and so, too, had gentle Mrs Turner, the lady-housekeeper, and they were now in the dimly - lighted drawing-room — the former toying with the keys of the piano, the latter listening to the touching strains produced. ' To-morrow, by the mail. Poor chap ! he was dreadfully cut up by the sudden news of his friend's death — they chummed in college, you know.' ' H'm, yes. Had his chum . . . a . . . sister ! ' and Mullholland, as he asked the question, turned to the open window and knocked the ashes from his pipe. ' A sister ! Ton my soul, I don't know ! I never heard. I suppose he had. What's on your mind now?' ' Nothing much ! . . . I was thinking, that's all ! Look here, John ! ' When the friends began to ' James ' JAMES AND JOHN 5 and 'John' each other, confidences were sure to be ex changed. ' Leonard Digby is a fine young fellow ! ' 'Ay, and he's twenty-five, every day of it. 'Gad, James, we're getting on, old boy! — and he's not married yet.' ' And Bertha was twenty-one last birthday.' 'And it's always advisable for the man to have the advantage of a few years over the . . . a . . . the . . .' ' Wife !

That's the word you were looking for — eh ? ' and James and John stood up, their faces slightly flushed, filled their glasses to the brims, raised them to their lips, stretched out their right hands till each clasped the other, winked, nodded, and emptied the glasses. ' That's settled, John, and proud I'm of it. Your nephew is a fine manly fellow.' 'Your niece, James, will make a lovely woman.' 'And she'll have all, or nearly all, I possess, when I'm gone.' ' And he has a good profession ; work of some sort is good for young fellows, though he'll never want it, and a certain ten thousand from me the day he makes Bertha his wife.' 'John!' ' James ! ' ' God bless them ! ' ' Hip . . . hip . . . hooray — Amen ! ' and the two — James beaming down on John, John smiling up at James — entered the drawing-room where Bertha and Mrs Turner were still seated.

On the evening of the second of June, Mullholland, with Dolly on his shoulder, and Hawthorne, with Bertie similarly placed, accompanied by Leonard Digby, walked quietly along in the direction of Holland Park. ' You haven't kissed me yet, Dolly ! ' cried Leonard, and he made a rush at Dolly, who hid her face in her gee gee's hat, and kicked out viciously with her heels ; if little Dolly was jealous, she was loyal also. ' Oh, very well then ! I'll kiss Bertie instead. But I thought that little ladies liked dollies that sing . . . and cry . . . and laugh . . . and do all sorts of things . . . and never lose their sawdust ! ' ' So us do ! . . . We lubs 'em, eb'ry one of 'em, I tells 'oo ! ' and Dolly's flushed face grew more flushed still, and her eyes opened very wide, as her tormentor once more re counted all the virtues of a real London dolly. ' Her'll tleep wit' me to-night ... an' eb'ry night ! . . .

I'll teach her say " Our Fader " afore she goes to beddy ! . . . Me'll be berry dood to her — me will ! . . . Bertie teazes dollies, he do ! . . . Tiss my 'itty brudder Bertie 'stead of I, and dib me de dolly — dat's best ! ' at which cautious arrangement on the part of Dolly everyone laughed heartily, and her little ladyship hugged her big gee-gee's neck, with an eye on Leonard all the while to see how he took the hint. They arrived at Holland Park, the twins, now descended, running here and there picking daisies with which to make a chain for ' 'itty brudder in de kadle ' at the Rectory. The three men entered as Bertha, who had seen them approaching, fled upstairs to look in her glass previous to meeting Leonard after his short — to her, long — absence from Knockroe. The host led his companions to the billiard-room, and proceeded to procure wine and cigars ; the twins for the moment were forgotten.

But the twins were all right, they were perfectly well able to look after themselves. They had stolen through an open window into the drawing-room, had deposited themselves behind the piano, had seated themselves on the soft carpet, and proceeded to create a daisy-chain, and at the same time to have a game of hide-and-seek with their gee-gees. Bertie busily engaged himself at once to supply string for the chains by pulling out the fringe of a silk antimacassar that looked quite bald along the edges by the time the chain neared completion. Quite twenty minutes passed away, and still they sat on and worked diligently ; then they began to lose patience, especially Dolly, who whispered, — ' Me tinks me smells take, Bertie ; does 'oo ? ' ' Go on wit' 'oor work, Dolly ! 'Ook at all de string ! ' JAMES AND JOHN 7 ' I wants my gee-gee an' take ! ' and Dolly threw the daisy chain on the floor, and was about to spoil the game, when they heard a light footstep enter the room ; peeping round the side of the piano, they could see Bertha looking out of a window, her back turned to them, heedless of their presence.

Each pulled back, held up a little forefinger, placed it on a little rosebud of a mouth, opened a pair of eyes to the fullest extent, and nodded ; Dolly and Bertie each under stood the pantomime of the other. More than Dolly and Bertie had heard Bertha entering the drawing-room. James finished his wine, so did John, and the latter, with a wink at the former, exclaimed, — ' Why, hang me, but we've lost the twins ! ' and the two left the billiard-room quickly, leaving Leonard to seek the drawing-room alone. ' Bertha ! ' ' Leonard ! ' Then Leonard held Bertha in his strong, manly arms, and Bertha laid her head confidingly on his broad shoulder, and kiss ! . . . kiss ! . . . kiss ! ; and two pairs of little ears heard, and two pairs of bright eyes saw, and Dolly whispered, — ' Him must hab lots of dollies for her wit' all dem tisses, Bertie ! ' Then two little fairies crept to the sides of the piano, and two sweet voices called out, ' Coo, coo !

Coo, coo ! ' and Leonard seized Dolly, and Bertha caught Bertie, and they kissed the little fairies a dozen times, so happy were they themselves. ' How many dollies has '00 for her? " and Dolly looked serious. ' One lovely dolly, but that's for you.' ' But '00 tissed her a lot of times, an' her tissed '00 a lot of times ! ' and Dolly looked from one to the other and noticed that they both were blushing, especially Bertha. ' Oh, Dolly ! you really must not say . . . You know I never did ! ' expostulated Bertha. ' Oh, oh ! ' from Leonard, and he drew Bertha to him. ' Oh, oh ! ' from Dolly. ' Oh, oh ! ' from Bertie. ' Oh, oh ! Oh, oh,' from James and John, who were standing outside the window, and had heard part of Dolly's short speech ; and Bertha fled the room, and Leonard followed quickly.

Later on in the evening, when dinner was over — while the twins were in dreamland in the Rectory, Dolly with her namesake from London lying with her in her cot, Bertie with a ball as big as his head beside him — James Mullholland took his niece by the hand and led her towards Leonard, while John Hawthorne took his nephew by the shoulder, and met them half-way, — ' Take her, Leonard ! ' whispered James. ' You lucky dog ! ' growled John. Leonard took her, and kissed her in their presence ; Bertha, her eyes filled with tears of joy, kissed them one and all ; and they were so happy that they never felt the time passing till the big grandfather's clock in the hall struck twelve ; and so ended the night of the second of June.

Chapter II Cherry Pie

The morning of the third of June was one of those glorious mornings that make men happy, one of those mornings on which man can look up to heaven and thank God for life. James and John were in the stables at Hazlewood ex amining Leonard's latest purchase in the shape of a hand some bay mare that was being harnessed by a smart-looking groom. ' Fifteen hands, at least ! ' exclaimed James, and he stood close to the shoulder of the mare. ' Scarcely that, surely ! ' replied John, as he raised him self on tip-toe and examined the animal critically. ' Fifteen, all but, sir ! ' the groom remarked, and led the shining beauty to a dogcart that looked as if it had never once been on the road. Bertha was standing at the hall door with Leonard ; she was placing in his coat a fresh ' Allen Richardson ' bud, and he was gazing into her sweet face.

How shall I tell you what she looked like then ? Shall I attempt it ? No — I'd be certain to fail ; and besides, Bertha Noble is not our heroine, and only heroines obtain such special notice. This much I may safely and truly say — she was charming ! . . . bewitching ! . . . entrancing ! And Leonard ? It would be silly to describe a man at length ; and besides, he is not our hero ; but. to be fair, I may say of him — he was intelligent-looking ! . . . manly ! . . . kindly ! The mare was brought round and admired once more. Bertha took her seat nervously, while the animal pawed the gravel restlessly. Leonard jumped in, taking the ribbons from Ted the groom as he did so. 'All right! ... Let her go ! . . . Gently, lass! . . . Gently ! ' and off they went, the mare throwing the gravel from her hoofs against the dash-board.

A rabbit bolted across the avenue, and Molly skitted nervously for a moment, but Leonard held her gently in hand. Bertha, once they were fairly on the road, lost all fear, and settled herself to enjoy the morning's drive. ' Where's the twins ? ' inquired James, as they lost sight of the happy couple in the trap. ' Astray, I'll be bound, like your grammar, James ! ' was the reply, at which the two men laughed ; and, having lit their pipes, they started off in search of Dolly and Bertie. They searched here, there, everywhere, around the house and in the house, except in the right place. Two servants were sent out to search, so was Ted the groom, but nowhere could the twins be found, and James and John grew anxious on hearing from the Rectory that the children had not returned. Dolly and Bertie had arrived together that morning at Hazlewood at about eleven o'clock — the former with her London dolly, and Bertie with his ' drate big ball.' ' 'Oo doin' for a dwive ? ' inquired Dolly, as Leonard gave certain orders to the groom. ' Yes, my little innocent !

Didn't you hear me say so this very minute — eh ? ' ' 'Ess, her did ! 'Oo take we wit' 'oo ? ' asked Bertie. ' Not if I know it, my sublime pets ! ' and he looked anxiously in the direction of Holland Park. ' 'Oo take her wit' 'oo, I s'pose ! ' as Dolly caught sight of Bertha and her uncle in the distance ; and Dolly went on feeding her namesake with a cherry — a pout upon her little face. ' 'Oo'll tiss her on de road, I s'pose,' from Bertie. ' Him'll tiss her on de mouf, 'oo silly boy ! ' from Dolly, innocently, at which the arrivals laughed heartily; then CHERRY PIE 11 James and John went round to the stables, leaving the twins in the company of Leonard and Bertha. ' 'Oo leab her at home to get de dinney, an' take de two 'itty dollies for a dwive ! . . . Dis 'itty dolly neber dwoved yet ! ' begged the bigger Dolly ; and Leonard, pronouncing a benediction on the twins, took Bertha inside, and left them to their devices.

The twins started at once in the direction of the stables in search of their gee-gees, and, as they came in sight of the coach-house, they saw Ted giving a last touch to the trap before going to the stables. ' Dolly an' me wants a dwive bad, don't us, dolly ? ' grumbled the little lady, and she kissed the doll and wiped its eyes — she had made it squeak, and was pretending to Bertie that the doll was crying. ' Dat's the twap ! ' exclaimed Bertie, taking no notice of Dolly's trick, and he nodded in the direction of the trap the groom had just left.' 'An' dare's a box inside, Bertie.' ' 'Ess, so dare is ! Us get in an' hab our dwive.' Dolly laid her treasure gently on the ground, and Bertie placed his ball carefully beside it. ' Lift me up, Bertie, 'ike a big, 'itty boy ! ' The little fellow lifted her up ; she turned the handle at the back of the trap and peered inside ; then Bertie let her down. ' I'ze goin', Bertie, dare's only woom for one ! ' ' No, Dolly, I'ze goin' ; I saw de twap first ! ' ' I'ze older dan 'oo . . . 'oo naughty boy ! ' and Dolly pouted, and put her finger in her mouth ; and Bertie pouted, and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. ' 'Ess toss, den, Dolly ! ' ' Dat's what men says.

How does 'em toss ? ' ' Dis ways ! ' Then Dolly and Bertie prepared to wrestle — Dolly having first kissed her waxen charge — Bertie having moved his ball farther away from the scene of action. Then the battle ensued, and the twins fought valiantly, and Bertie won the toss. ' 'Oo a naughty boy, Bertie ! . . . 'Oo tossed nasty ! ' and Dolly rose from the ground discomfited, and set about to remove the dust from her little white frock. ' Lift me up, Dolly, me go for de dwive.' ' Tan't ! ' replied Dolly in a shaky tone. ' Den dat's cheaty, Dolly ! 'Oo not fay ! I tossed 'oo,' ' Welly well, then, 'oo go for dwive ! ' Then Dolly, after two or three attempts, succeeded in holding Bertie up while he opened the door and crept in, the door remaining open. ' Shut the door, Dolly — twick ! ' 'Tan't ! . . .

I'ze too 'itty ! ' and she tried her best. ' Bang it wiff somefin — 'oo silly gell ! ' ' I'ze no silly gell ! 'Oo a berry silly, 'itty boy, 'oo is,' Dolly replied, took up her doll, and marched proudly away, leaving Bertie stowed in a corner of the trap. Let us return to James and John and the servants, whom we left in evident excitement searching for the twins. All met once more at Hazlewood, but the children were still missing. Ted was prepared to swear, and would have sworn, only that his master was present, that he saw ' Miss Dolly an' Masther Bertie cumin' in the direction of the coach-house ' when he started for the stables to harness Molly. A new search was about to be instituted, and a servant was being sent to the Rectory once more, when the cook appeared on the scene, in convulsions of laughter, leading Dolly, who was looking anything but penitent, by the arm.

Poor Dolly ! . . . And poor dolly ! While cook and the other servants had gone out to see ' Misther Linard and Miss Bertha dhrive off,' Dolly, with her namesake, entered the kitchen, and soon found her way into a pantry, from which there came forth a smell, irresistible — Cherry Pie ! Don't blame Dolly, dear Reader, — poor wee Dolly ! I knew a boy — no matter what his name was — who, when spending a holiday with a rich, old maiden aunt that loved him, lost a small fortune over a cherry pie. On a certain day, in his rambles, he found his way to the little pantry CHERRY PIE 13 every boy finds his way to the little pantry — and with much care he raised the crust of a cherry pie that was to be cold for tea when the Curate called that evening. The boy was handy with his knife and fork. He ate the cherries, and covered the vacuum in the dish with the crisp crust.

The Curate called just before tea-time. He was persuaded to take a seat. He was invited to partake of cherry pie. He accepted the invitation with thanks, declaring how fond he was of cherries. He beamed all over, and the boy's rich old maiden aunt beamed all over too as she stuck the knife in the top of the crust. The crust came off most unnaturally ; there was a vacuum and no pie. The maiden aunt looked at the boy ; the boy bolted from the table, as boys do bolt ; the Curate grew sallow, and no wonder — he had lost his pie. When that rich old maiden aunt died, it was the Curate that bolted and laughed, it was the boy who grew sallow — and no wonder. I was that rich old maiden's nephew, dear Reader, and I knew all about it. I can't bear the sight of cherry pie since. God rest her soul ! Amen !

Don't blame Dolly — poor wee Dolly. Dolly's face was smeared with the juice ; dolly's face was smeared likewise. Dolly's once spotless white pinafore bore traces of it, so did dolly's pink-white waxen chest. Dolly's fingers told the sad tale that there was neither fork nor spoon about, so did the other dolly's funny-looking hand. Dolly had eaten the whole inside of a cherry pie, and was satisfied and full ; the other dolly was as hungry as ever. James tried to look angry, and so did John, which made them look so positively ridiculous that the servants fled away roaring with laughter, leaving Dolly, with dolly clasped to her neck, looking as if she did not quite understand what it was all about. ' You dreadful little . . . ! ' Mullholland began, but was neither allowed, nor able, to finish. ' I'ze no dre'fful, you drate big gee-gee !