Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-01-05
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Fiom Dickens liousoh hold Words.
MILDRED'S LOVERS.

Such presumption ? said Mrs.
Lyndon, the stockholders wife,
irowning and Such forwardness =
returned Miss Manvers, the lady,
par excellence, of the establishment,
tossing her head.
A man with five hundred a year
and expectations = said Mrs. Lyn-
don, disdainfully. Mrs. Lyndon,
though at present in difficulties, had
married, as people say, above her,
and was consequently very bitter a
gainst meSalliances.
And one who cares nothing a.
bout her AS how could he, such
a plain little hodmadod as she is -
Quite forced, as one may say, into
paying her attention
| have no patience with that
girls boldness = sneered Miss Man
vers, who, by virtue of tradition
al beauty, had private patent for
propriety, being supposed to know
what temptation meant. SO they
settled it between them, that poor
Mildred, the daughter of the House.
{ 1t was clearinghouse. was an
arrant little mink. And there they
left her.
Mildred came into the room a
moment after they had so prettily
arranged her, as the French say,
with her shy look and queer, en-
barrassed step, as USUAL step that
seemed to stumble over herself, as if
her feet were too long at the toes,
and caught in each others way
She always walked, too, with her
head down and her eyes cast up
from under her eyebrows. She was
very short-sightei as well as ner-
vous, and her shoulders and hands
were conscious and restless. She
was not pretty, but intesling in face !;
and as she attracted more attention
than many handsomer women, this,
OF course, was truer criterion of
her powers of pleasing than mere
regularity of line and feature. She
was quaint, and original, and clever
sarcastic, too, and SAID odd, out
of the way things; and put matters
IN a new light; and had always
something striking to add to every
discussion, which made other peo-
pie feel that they had been very
tame and commonplace and stupid
and she sometimes ventured on ex-
tremely beautiful illustrations, all
IN her little nervous, hesitating, I'M
equal manner; and intellectually
was worth half dozen of the fine
ladies' who despised her with such
comfortable contempt. Then she
was young and had good eyes
those large, dreamy, innocent, short
sighted eyes, which she was fully
conscious were good, and which her
way of looking up from under her
brows made yet more remarkable
and she was openly sighted by the
ladies', because she was poor, and
because she hirted-a combination
OF offences few women forgive
And she had good deal of artistic
taste and feeling, which always
lightens up character F; so that in
consideration of all these facts, the
men paid her vast attention; and
she generally had one or two fllrta-
tions on hand at the same tme-the
intricacies of which she managed
with the skill of an old general.
The foolish child Iejoiced in her
triumphs, as perhaps was natural,
and managed to display them before
her main enemies, Mrs. Lyndon and
Miss Manvers, without showing that
she did it intentionally, as perhaps
was only natural too, though I'M
wise. But Mildred, in her secret
heart, was one of the most reckless
creatures imaginable, like many 9TH
er quiet and compressed people
and at any time would nave hazard
ed all her future for the pleasure of
half an hours evident success. IL
was so glorious to be able to re-
venge herself on those who despis-
ed her, by showing them that she
could triumph both over them and
fate; and that meanly as they
thought of her, there were others
who placed her far before even
them; and that though they looked
on her with contempt, other people
worshipped her with enthusiasm
with other like thoughts and feel
ings always busy in a sighted wo-
mans brain. But she had to pay
dearly for her naughty pride after
wards, poor little soul
While she was fidgeting over the