The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-12-27

large IA his purse was small, and I should
he as free ~ his own children to sit at his
board and hi~ frcsi,lc. Not that want
cd or meant to presume on this kinlness
but there was difference between the
consciousness of possessing such Il possible
refuge, and the terror which might other
wise have overtakcn me of actual want.
| had no ilca. however, Of sitting down
idle. After dinner wrote to this same
guardian, and informed him of what
had done. | knew he understood my
temperament well enough to take my
should die it | had to go on another year
in the old dull round, and begged Inn to
advertise for situation as gUverness for
me, and find me one as soon is possible.
Having thus thrown the responsibility of
my next movement on one whom | could
safely trust. threw off the load of care
in dread Which had been expressing me
since the autumn flowers came, and be-
came more like the girl Nature intended
me to he. The thought of returning to
that old schoolroom with its confusion,
and yet iis endless routine its continual
recurrence Of the same things to be done.
had been resting on me like the Old Man o.
the Sea-nUw that | feared it no more.
the gayety and gladness which should be-
long to twcniy-Cne years seemed to come
to me, and taking 40 thought or care Tor
the morrow | enjoyed myself heartily.
1t was something less than three weeks.
when ! received IA letter from my guar
dian containing an offer of situation "a
govcrnesS in a family in the ncighborhood
Of Bo-ton. The salary was liberal, and
the whole seemed TO promise well. 1t
came to me Just before tea. and thought
| would answer it when | went 70 my
room for the night. After supper we ali
went out to see the September sunset and
somehow, before knew it, found my
self walking alone with Judge Hubbard,
my friend : father
have not mentioned him before. In
deed he had only been in the habit at first
OF coming up for II day or two in each
N'th, Dul lbl iut lttNl lNO WtPN- he Uitl
been there alI the time, and had become
quite acquainted with him In some
ways | admired him excessively. but
hnd never thought of him, certainly, IA
the hero of amy possible love-dream. -
And yet he was II widower, with only
th, one daughter. two year younger than
myseI--a man in the very prime OF life,
with the cr,nlcst head ! ever saw-a
sirong, energetic, ardent. thuroughly.cul-
turcd gentleman. lie had seemed TO like
TO talk to me, and hear me sing. and
was 50 perfectly free. from any designs on
him that presume had been my best self
in his prc,euc'. Now, when | foun
myself lone with him, experienced NJ
embarrassment. We talked Tor a while
about the sunset; and then he told me
OF sunsets on which he had looked in 9th
or lands-Whlch mirrorcd their crimson
in the Rhine, or flushed the snowy sum
mits of lips and Appennincs And after
a while We began to speak of more per-
sonal topics, and somehow-l hardly
knew how | came 10 venture on the free.
dom-l showed him my guardians letter,
AMI asked hs advice about accepting the
situation. As he was Bostonan
thought he might know this Mr. Brad
shaw, ut whose hou.e purposed to take
up my abode, and tie able to decide whcth-
er the matter omised well. lie smiled.
"lcs," he said Il do know Mr.. Brad.
shaw, and should think you might he
comfortable in his family But | should
like to persuade you that you would be
more SO in mine. In fact, that was what
| had meant to say to you tonight"
! starred with surprise, in utter I'M
consciousness OF his meaning.
Il am sure leannette needs no COVER
ness She is far more accomplished than
am. You must be je>tin. with me-"
"No, but you are misunderstanding
me. 1t was OF my need of you ] thought,
uot IcaGneite's.
~ ours !"
"Ycs, Madeleine, Jeanette will marry
doubtless, and when -he leaves mo shall
he alone. is 1t strange that ] should wish
10 provide myself with pleasant compan-
iun.hip for the coming wears can not
hope that you have learned to love me
yet, but perhaps you have seen enough of
me 10 form an idea whether loving me
would he possibe-whether you could
ever consent TO be my wife"
told him very honestly how much his
words surprised me--for had never for
n single instant, thought of him in that
light | expressed my sense of the honor
he had done me, and then ! promised to
answer him the next evening,
With this promise he seemed satisfied,
and we talked of other things till began
10 form some idea of what manner of
man he was, 90 see that tho calm judg-
ment and legal arumen which had ee-
waited him to his present position were
not all his endowmenI-, that poetry an |
sentiment and romance were not dead in
him, that he was IA man of taste as well
as of talent
That night, alone IN my room, thought
the matter all over, had no particular
fancy for guvernessing, yet | felt, in The
depths ot my heart, that 10 he a governeSs
loreyer would be thousand times b, tier
Than 10 marry man who did not love
me-whom | did not love The suLe
question was-did Judge IIibbard love
mo anil wns | ,unuIl, - La, ;,s, l;,,