The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-08-31
ANGELICA'S BETROTHAL:
A Christmas Story Ofthe sold Court %
CONTINUED

the other charms OF the lace, and
fascinated the beholder with their
basilisk spell. Stephen Hautain
looked into what he believed to be
their true pure depths, and felt that
they had bound him to their service
either for life or death !. and she look
ed into his deep gray (and fathomable
to those whom he loved), and felt that
she had set the seal to his death
doom. He will be faithful, +" she
thought, faithful through all to me-"
and sharp pang, like the sting of a
steel weapon, shot through her heart,
and left her cheek paler than the
white flower in her hair. He looked,
as Lady Hautain had told her, hand
somer than ever, and his slim but
firm knit figure was cast in the mould
of an Apollo. '1'-''3
Stephen Hautain was reckoned the
handsomest man of his day, and was
adored by the women of his acqaint-
ance who had not daughters to mar
sry; and Angel Temple, in whose per-
Verted nature satire was browning
gift, said to herself, as Reginald en-
tered the room at the same moment,
and gazed suIkily round it until his
eye lighted upon her own face, I" hook
on this picture and on that" and did
not spare the lash in the bitterness of
her own self-contempt Mr.. Hau-
tain, as the world. called the man
whom we have introduced to our
readers as simply Reginald" was
Knot going to allow his fascinating
brother to engross the attention of
the woman whom he Originally had
honored with his notice; and bring
ing his ungainly person to her side by
a Series of awkward evolutions (Which
always, by the way, mark the progress
of that odieus anomaly man shy
through egotistio self-consclousness),
he commenced conversation quite
irrelevant to the one which she had
begun with Stephen, and which had
not, as yet, overstepped the usual con-
yentional obseryances. 2H' s
!" / have been trying to get up to
you, Miss Temple, before they an
nounced dinner; it is my privilege to
take you in, you know now. ,5r..
You have cleared quite a passage
for yourself amongst Lady Hautain' 8
tables and chairs" she replied, " and
might claim Victoria Gross for the
way you charged Miss Clementina s
hoop. She is vainly trying to look
unconscious Of the rent in her gown
now. Have you no remorse, Mr..
Hautain2 " .....- -. -, - ~.
"Confound her gownl" was the
chivalric. reply, and Il wish you
would call me Reginald, Angel" Mr..
Hautain added in an undertone, and
| he stuck out his arm awkwardly to
| her as dinner was announced; sits
| rather hard on fellow" he added, as
they traversed the long corridor to-
gether, which led into the banqueting
lhall, to- be always snbbbing one as
4 Won do. "i9Arse@ W9iil1 J1o7 sab !
Miss Temple gave rather an ifreFa-
lent answer to this leading remark on
| the part Of her uncouth adorer. She
could not help listening to the ringing
/ tones Of Captain lHautain s voice, who
! was talking gaily4 to one of the
! honorable spinsters before mention
/ Cd, who had been boiling over with
1 Indignation at being taken into dinner
| after that chit, Angelica Temple, "
but who was cooling again under the
genial influence of Captain Hautain' S
1 lively conversation. gsI4rg 40
Ilo He was so happy, in such buoyant
J spirits, in the radiant presence of his
] beloved, that he made himself more
than usually agreeable, circumstance
which the Honorable Clemintina
i Hautain put down to the credit of her
own charms. She had been the
beauty of the family in a day long
passed away, but had been too way
ward and capricions in her treatment
of her adoreFs, fact which In heI
dreary spinsterhood, = supported
upon mythical means, and
an occasional douceaw from the
I generous head Of her house, she now
bitterly regretted She was always
throwing out .ominous hints to her
Young rieeess ard cousins, especially
those remarkable for their good looks,
about not being sitoo particular, my
DEAR" and frequently repeated one
B or two stanZass of an old fashioned
song, of which the first lines we're !,
4 itWhen / was girl of eighteen years old,
flAIsw as handsome as handsome could
1sVE be;Fa haR EstEAstLa&# Z
My hair Ger my neck in ringlets 1owed'
And lovers cameicourtlngt to me. Ell
It went on to show the danger OF
caprice and indiscriminate rejection
of the whole army of lovers, described
al. length, beginning with the " Duke
with his coronet of gold, whose face
like his family, was SO very old, thai
{ he would not do for me. " OItwas g
great day for the juvenile members o.
! the family when Aunt Clemmy could
Ebe persuaded to favor the company
! with this song. to the accompaniment
Iof drumming guitar, suspended
round the withered neck by ribbon
of cerulean hue. To this ancient sirer
!; Captain Hautain's conversation was
addressed. 4 and the flowers which