The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1851-12-25

at the IgntcSC Dreatn. AN, my ucdr glfl,
if in the course of things should happen
to be unfortunate in business, and you
were thrown upon your own resources,
these whims would be speedily abandoned.
You would then have to think less Of your
nerves, and more of your fingers"
" Mr.. Luqueer!" exclaimed his wife,
elevating her hands, and her eyebrows, in
the utmost astonishment. " Did you
speak :"
Why-ahem-ycs-" replied Mr..
Luqucor, bashfully. " I believe I did say
few words. Just few, my doar'
"Onc thing, girls, wish you particu-
larly to remember said Mrs. Luqucer.
addressing apparently her daughters, bui
in fact speaking at her husband, "and
that is, when you are married, to impress
strictly upon your husbands the ridiculous
ness of their interference in feminine mat,
ters. The world gives them privileges
enough as it is, without their seeking to
encroach upon our already too circum-
scribed province"
"My dear" began Mr.. Luquecr, apoli-
getically, {" only-Agathe is"
81 beg you will not say anything more
to distress her, Mr.. Luquecr. She is only
too much agitated Viii you obl'ge me
by leaving us together q little while; a
mothers soothing influence is sometimes
the best medicine for wounded mind"
Glad to escape 50 easily, Mr.. Luqueer
quietly Withdrew.
Henry Wentworth, though quite young
man, had seen much OF the world, and was
consequently not near so blind to faults OF
character as Mrs. Luqueer imagined. He
seldom saw Hester now, and yet the more
sedulously Mrs .Luqucer endcavorcd to keep
the poor rphan il TIE BACKGROUND, the
more Wcntworth's thoughts felt drawn
towards her. Interested from the first by
her beauty, he was not long in discovelin?
that to the charm Of fair face. she uniteC
IA disposition of singular cheerfulneSs, will
serene force Of mind that enabled her t.
bear up under the many vexations tc
which, from her dependant position, sh,
was constantly subjected
The ambiguous remarks of Mrs. Lu
queer, when he first met Hester, led hin
t. make inquiries concerning the latter
from other, and less interested sources
and the result was, that he began to dream
quite numb,r of very pleasant dreams,
both by day and night, in which, somehow
or other-though he could never tell ex-
actly how-Hcstcr constantly occupied a
prominent place.
The fine old family mansion of the Lu-
queer's was on the skirts OF the city, the
streets of which, although they are paved
closely up to its gates, had not yet intrudcd
beyond the edges of Its sioping and we'll
wooded lawn. The garden in the rear
too, still retained, by means of its high
walls and ancient shrubbery, shady ex-
clusiveness, that was really delightful in
contrast with the glare, and hustle, and
hubbub of the city beyond.
Wentworth's watchfulness of Hester's
movements had not altogether escaped the
penetrating eyes of Mrs Luquoer. The
latter sought, therefore, by every means il
her power to divert his evident admiration
of the fair orphan from growing into g
warmer feeling. She paraded before him
the dependant condition of her whenever
she could do so without irrelevancy. She
had excuses for Hester's non-appearancC
in the drawing room as usual; and she
became suddenly timid of Hestcr's walking
out alone, and at length, the garden-ovel
whose high walls not even the tempted
youths of the city had ventured to climb
was pronounced dangerous to stroll in
without the presence Of companion.
But even Argus sometimes slept, and
one day, when 9th Mrs. Luqueer and hei
daughters were in the city, and Hestcr's
time being heavy on her hands, RAJ c
thing with Hester, she blushed little, but
did not appear at all sorry, when Went
worth added his voice to the voice of hel
own heart, and they wandered to and frc
through the green alleys together. How
Wentworth happened to be there just al