The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-12-25
A.NGELICA'S j. 1. BETROTHAL: !:
A CHRISTMAS STORY
IA an rHE
u VA 1A-AS
:. DID Oouz5R t.
CHAPTER l..


The young girl to whom these words
wereaddressed by her mother, stood cloak
cd, softly and warm, in the hall Of her rec
toryfhome, waiting for the carriage which
waa,p convey the family party, consisting
lIof herself and her father and mother, to the
Boeae Of Christmas festivity at the "Old
fdntit, hattnniaL eff md
Lady Hantain, who held their Christmas
revelsSin the fashion Of the good old times.
They were childless couple, and this
fact had been the only cross which their
tranquil lives had known.
The poor relations, however, who sprang
with rapid ohshoot growth from the origin
al parent tree, and who, if not coming ex-
actly under the head Of athe blind the
halt, and the lame, : might still have been
summed up under the. expressive modern
adjective Of "seedy," profted considerably
By the absence of nearer and dearer ties,
and more legitimate objects of affection, in
the case Of tharafIee Sentative of the house
Of Hautain, hospitality was
: rampant sp 6, excuse
= Weasslliy Kbaohsl III
at home in oreas1 a
thin, bird-like Old maid Il
aho,norable" attached to
make up for the miserable pittanoe, the
portion Of the younger. soions Of many a
noble house, givingthe mysterious privilege
Of oposition," dear to the heart Of honor
able women of a certain age; and young
married couples struggling with the gaunt
wolf of poverty, and the annual addition Of
another little Hautain to the family circle;
these we're the sort of guests which the
worthy old couple delighted to see assem-
bled at the "Old Court" on each returning
celebration Of our highest and holiest feast.
Mr.. Temple, the rector Of the parish,
was an easy-going clergyman Of the old
school; and his wife was a bustling, world
ly-minded woman, the daughter of a neigh
boring baronet, who had just made the
browning success of her lii. by introduc-
ing into society the really beautiful girl,
whom, by master-stroke Of diplomacy, not
often praoticed by mothers nowadays, she
had kept strictly immured in the school
room, until the chrysalis was ready to be
cast, and the butterfly wings to spread in
all their glory to the gaze of an admiring
world.
Angelica, or "Angel Temple as she
had been ohristened on her first appearance
in the county, was no common character;
but with much that was really noble, she
had imbibed deep strain Of worldliness
from the education she had received from
her mother; aud the remark of the latter
with which this chapter opened, was the
result of conversation, which [ will quote
here for the benefit of the reader, and to
explain the footing on which mother and
daughter stood.
81 wish you would not be SO reserved
with me, Angel began Mrs. Temple, who
had adopted the popular abbreviation Of
her daughter $ name; "you will meet Mr..
Hautain again tonight, and it is quite
necessary that I should be informed Wheth
er this growing intimacy between you is
likely to lead to anything or not.
ii think [ am able to take care Of my
self, mother; and do not exactly know
what you mean, by 'leading to anything
OF course you know that could marry
Reginald tomorrow if 1 liked; as far as he
is concerned in the matter, there would be
no difficulty in bringing it to anything at
once. =Z=z
AS she said these words with an air of
defiance, Mrs Temple looked quickly up in