The priest's niece Author:Barbara Hemphill Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. The Nesmonds fitted up the apartments lent to them by Colonel Merton in a superb style. This rather annoyed him. Fond of pomp, he experienced a v... more »ain emulation of Zied, though he had not means to equal his establishment; and soon another annoyance arose,—Malex, the barb, was permitted to rove at pleasure through the court, and drink from the fountain. The noble animal had never been subjected to the confinementof a stall; one was always ready, if he wished to enter, but he was so untamed and high-spirited, that any effort to fasten him up probably would have led to a struggle, and the barb was too valuable to risk his injuring himself; so Zied had tried, and succeeded, in training his Arab steed by the instincts of its affections. A few days after the Nesmonds arrived, an invitation to dine with them on the following day reached the Mertons. Eve did not dare to offer an opinion, and Colonel Merton unhesitatingly accepted it. There were several officers at the dinner, but no ladies, except the sisters; consequently, Colonel Nesmond was obliged to hand down Eve, but neither spoke: their position was embarrassing to a painful degree. The entertainment was super-excellent—wines of all countries,—and it circulated freely—-and wine gladdeneth the heart of man ; so, without excess, the party became convivial. With the dessert, in bounded Siward and his cousin, Neno, who, with a spring, rushed into her father's arms, expanded to receive her, hiding her head in his bosom—then raising it archly and timidly peeping at the company. An expression of admiration burst forth at the unusual and perfect beauty of the child, set off by a dress half-oriental and wholly fantastic—a specimen of Therese's taste. The climate required, except for modesty, but little clothing,...« less