Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-07-11

| fashionable boarding houses OF New ORR
where people prided themselves on their ex
clusiveness, and fancied that they added
greatly to their own Importance by refusing
to recognize those who sat each day beside
them, if they did not chance to be members
of their own circle. Mrs. Stanhope was 0
lady of some wealth, from one of the western
cities who had come with her daughter &c
New York, that she might see a little more
of the world than she could at home.
! Clara Stanhope was remarkably line
looking girl, with spirited, dashng, and
even daring look and manner, always cool
and unembarrasseG even when she was saying
the most astonishing things; and with q
| laugh whose clear and silvery melody, some.
what loud though it was, often beguiled those
| who we're suffering from her merciless sarcasm
| into joining her merriment.
Mrs. Stanbope, panoplied by her reliance
on her family" graciously condescended to
take the initiative in making the acquaintance
| of her vis.a-ris ut table.
might she ask" she said, with bow as
! stately as that of any Castilian dame. 'if he
were of the same family as the Duke OF Rut-
land"
With an equally stately bow, and calm
Indifference of mani er, that showed him TO
be trueb born aristocrat, Mr.. Manners re-
piled in the Affirmative.
"Then | must claim you as relative"
Mrs. Stanhope continued, with an air as
though she were comforting an immense
favor; for we are also members of that
illustrious house."
Mr.. Manners merely bowed the favor was
received, as unrequested gifts often are. as
though the acceptance was somewhat OF an
infliction.--But this indifference only height
ened the admiration of Mrs. Stanhope and
her daughter If he had courted them,
they might have treated him with their usual
haughtiness but keeping them as be did in
the position they first assumed, as applicants
for bis notice. they showed him, underneath
their customary arrogance, constant def
erence and attention.
81 am happy to have found relatives in
this part of the world, where thought had
none" said the gentleman, as he arose from
the table, with languid air, as though he
felt it incumbent on him to say something,
but thought it quite bore.
"W hat coXcomb !" said one gentleman to
another.
This part of the world-he mustbe an Eng
lishman-an English gentleman, Of course,
perhaps a nobleman, who has dropped his
title while travelling in this country" said
Mrs. Stanbope to her daughter.
AS days passed by, Mr.. Manners relaxed
somewhat from his cold abstraction of manner,
and condescended to converse. 1t was evi.
dent that Clara Stanhope felt more pleased
by his attentions, few and slight as they were.
than she cared TO confess. The casual re-
marks he dropped Influenced her strangely.
Her laugh, that had once been the music Of
the house, ringing through the drawing room,
the halls, and dining-room with its outburst
of exuberant pride and joyousness, grew still
and hushed, and replaced by tranquil smile.
The change began on the very day that Mr..
Manners had made the remark, that "no
woman with loud laugh could ever claim to
be considered lady"
The gentleman evidently was not aware
that his words contained any person allusion.
Several other sayings Of his had great effect
on the nnrestrained manners Of Clara Stan
hope. She was fast becoming subdued and
quiet and even gentle. But this transforma-
tion could not take place without being COM
mented on, and the cause Of it closely scru-
tinized Thanks to her severe speeches. she
had not friend in the house, but many
watchrul and crticising observers.
81 believe that Miss Stanhope is in love
with that Mr.. Manners" said Mr.. Grey.
"Do you know who he is 2" asked one gen.
teman.
All dUSWtTtu III tle thch
commenced general discussion and conjec-
turing. 1t was late in the evening" the
ladies' had all retired the gentlemen still
fingered, wasting more than an hour in fruit
less surmisings. The only fact that was
clearly established was that there was some
mystery connected with Mr.. Manners.
When ladies gossip, there is vague un-
certainty in their utterances. There are
inuendoes, hints, wise looks, compressing Of
the lips, and shakings of the head; but all
these amount to but little the world needs
something defnite to rest on, and so it shut
its eyes resolutely ag linst the cloud Of smoke,
aud if the fire is well hidden takes no heed Of
it.
But when the sterner portion Of the race
put their wise heads together, and they are
not so slow to do il as they would like us to
believe, something comes of it. From that
evenings discussion there sprang up in the
minds Of two or three Of the gentlemen, all
Of them the victims of Miss Stanhope's
beauty and her raillery, determination to
penetrate the veil with which Mr.. Manners
had enveoped himself.
An old lady from the country, who lived in
the house, bad expressed wish to know
"what that gentleman did for a living for
her part she never felt easy about folks till
she knew what their business was. The
lofty scorn with which Mrs. Stanhope repell-
ed the idea of its being necessary for a gen.
tleman to do anything for a living, quite
subdued the old lady.
IL only meant" said she "that l have al
ways noticed that those who did not follow
any business, but lived, nobody knows how,
were disrespectable, generally speaking"
mir. Manners is an English gentleman,
said Mrs Stanhope.
"Oh !" said the old lady and Mrs. Stan-
Lope looked upon the matter as settled
though it would have been hard for her to
tell how she made it out
The point which the gentlemen were bent
on discovering was the same as that about
which the old lady had expressed such curl
osity. One Of the investigators was a law
yer, keen, shrewd man, one whom nature
and practice had both combined to make q
detective" Of the first order. In two or
three days, Mr. Hilard, for that was his
name said to Mr.. Grey:
II have discovered one thing. Mr.. Man.
ners has some regular occupation. His very
air betrays that, as you meet him in the
street and no gentleman OF leisure would
come in ard go out as regular as he does"
L