The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1855-05-04
aEEgNYILIE, S. MORNING, NAY 4 1855


ned my dinner to a fraction--wherc to dine,
what box to occupy, what joint to fx upon,
what vegetable, what pudding, what cheese.
had deferred reading the morning paper
that might look at Il there at my leisure.
had foreordained my afternoon engage
ments also. And all thisI was weak enough.
| as SAID before, to set aside, to obEgs friend
friend Robinson, by taking family dinner
with him. -. ~ - -.
| Well, as / left his office the church clock
opposite struck one, and i had an hour up.
on my hands. / had a call to make two Or
three miles away but to go thsro and re-.
turn punctually 10 Robinsoli's ut two q clock
precisely. was out of the Ghestion; s1 had
no resource but saunter away lilo fedious
hour that intervened.
passed my dining rooms with a sigh of
resignation. stared in at the shop windows
walked down to Cheapside, entered Est.
Paul's Churchyard, looked UP at the clock,
and found that quarter of an hour had
barely been consumed. To while away the
succeeding half hour, passed UP the steps,
and entered the north door of the cathedral
deposited the demanded two-pence in the
out-stretched hand of the Junior, and saun-
tered among the monufnents--timing nv
proceedings SO well that on retracinp ,ny
steps and reaching the door of Robinson's
private residence, the clock was on the point
of striking two.
$50 far, well," thought 81 shall not be
accused, OF keeping the family dinnerwaiting
at all events though / dare say my friend
Robinson is gotin by this time He said
two precisely, remember" And / boldly
rang the bell.
"Mr. Robinson isin, i supposed" asked
OF the servant who answered the summons.
mo, sir, hesis not at home."
"Oh, he soon will be in, ] dare say he
said he should be at home by two. Is Mrs.
Robinson within ~
'.Yes, sir. What name, sir q'
And after these formalities were duly gone
thgoiigh With, was ushered intoa small par
|! lqE and informed that Mrs. Robinson would
"be DOWN" directly.
wei, | sat and sat, and could not avoid
hearing hurrying and skarryiHg along the
passages. up stairs, and down stairs, and for
anything know, in my lady's chamber. AT
length, after quarter of an hours DELAY.
during which time l had been .neryously fid-
getting about and longing every moment to
hear friend Robinson's ring of the bell, and
foot in the passage-tlie door slowly opened.
andin walked Mrs. Robinson. She had evi
dently--or rather as guessed, though right
ly--been caught in dishabille, and has. been
occupied ever since my arrival in setting her
self to rights, orwhatever else tine ladies may
call it. OF course, this did not tend to make
me welcome, though, TO do the lady Justice
she was too we'll bred to show any particular
signs of displeasuTe.
On the contrary, indeed, she received me
with tolerable cordiality---was glad to see
me and so forth--inquired how long had
been IN London, how friends were In the
country, how long a stay intended making
and all that sort of thing.
'This is all very WELL" thought +, abut il
says nothing about dinner, and am half
famished. What can Robinson mean by not
keeping his appointments
!. Five minutes, perliaps--and perhaps ten
passed in this sort oftalk; and the lady. L
could perceive, began to grow might fidtre-
ty. ''ren to one,n thought I, "Mrs. Robin.
son was on the point of serving up the fam
ily ainner as came in, and she is afraid
of the rest being over done, or some other
catastrophe of like nature. How shall |
manage it TO set her feet AID hands at liber-
ty, and her heart as rest 2"
Hope am not OBTAINING you madam Z"
stammered at last for want Of something
better to say. eff you will allow me, win
take up book and arnuse myself till"
My lady could scarcely repress start of
istonishment, which plainly said, what on
earth does the man mean She did not
say this verbally, however, hat supplied its
place with "Did you wish 5see Mr.. Robin