The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-10-25
UNDER THE LAMPS AT
SCARBOROUGH.
fFrnm the Fannlr Herald |


am an easy sort of man. l. am afraid,
indeed, that have been easy, and, so to
speak, the sport of circumstances all my
life, and it has not been D very long one
yet, At any rate, found myself there,
on a sweet September night, leaning
over the wall of Spa Promenade, and
staring out seaward. Behind me the
lamps were only just lighted, but l had
seen that the amphitheatre seats were
occupied, and by the increase ofrustling,
and footsteps behind, / knew that the
promenade was filling.
Still stared out seaward, listened to
the slush of the waves in the bay, and
thought how much rougher and grander
they would be on the other side of Cast 10
Cliff.
81 wonder what came for y | said to
myself. II don't know soul here ex-
cept the Nugents, and they will think l
followed them, and then"
$50 you did follow us, after all, Rob
ert ~ ,u HsG
| confess that my start was more vi0-
lent than the calm lady-like tones
seemed to warrant; the fultilment of my
prognostication came upon me sudden
ly. 1t was nay aunt, Lady Nugent, who
spoke, and with her there was her
daughter, my cousin Cecile, commonly
called Cis, whom | had an uneasy pre-
sentiment that was one day destined to
marry.
"How are you aunt Good evening Cis,'
l stammered, facing rodnd. "No, don't
know that followed you exactly; but
l am here, you see. How do you like
itp -.
eve have been here so often, Cis and
l." said Lady Nugent, with little shrug;
"but tits a charming place. And then
the flowers are so beautiful, and the mu-
sic-I always think there is something
in the music, and the lights, and the dim
sound of the waves that touches ones
tender feelings"
believe Imuttered internally, CLAP
trap but visibly assented with Il
sickly smile; for you see was little
afraid of Lady Nugent,-afraid of her at
all times, but especially so when she
did the sentimental. She seemed, in n
metaphorical sort Of way, to have her
paw upon me.
There was not, and never had been,
anything approaching to an engage
ment between Cecile and myself In the
days gone by we had flirted little. and
been little silly,-perhaps very silly,
but that was over. At least | thought
so. Six months ago, however, when /
came into my property, and became 4
Nugent of Nugent, my natural feelings
of satisfacti were damped in very
sudden and unlocked for manner by my
aunt's proceedings.
1t is rather pleasant thing to find
yourselfa man ofproperty, independent,
upfettered; the world all before you, and
the future with its nameless hopes and
possibilities, book just opened, with
its bright pages unread. Under such cir
young man will dream, and
his dreams will be sweet to him. He
will not relish, any more than | did, the.
sudden waking up to find, as it were, a
lasso thrown about him, and his fate
settled. Not that my aunt had any hold
upon me at all in reality, but then she
were treated with n sort of mysterious
petting. 1t was inferred that there was
O secret understanding between us,
which must be respected, VIC were not
subject to ordinary laws at all. Little
tete a.tctes were planned for MS; and
others besides my aunt soon began to
take 1t for granted that it WAS ease"
as people say, between us. For myself,
no poor doomed creature before rattle
snake could have been more helpless.
1t may seem weak, but call any young
fellow ofmy age and temperament to
testify to the power of clever woman
when she wills thing. As for Cecile,
she used to laugh and say, "POOr NAM
ma cannot realize that we have done
with our toys, Robert. You don't mind
it, do You 7"
"Mind what in wodld ask.
mamma forgets," Cecile would say,
looking hard at me, "that, while / am a
woman, you, being the same age in years
are yet boy"
And then / would be piqued, and
well, say silly things to prove that was
q man indeed, and manly.
The worst of all was, that i believe
Cecile really cared for me. Icould have
been very fond ef her as a brother, but
nothing more. Ny hand was passive, If
hers touched it; her voice, even when it
uttered my own name, sent no thrill
through my heart; he. presence was
comparatively indifferent to me; and
yet here I was, drifting away along the
path to which Lady Nugent pointed,
making, at times, feeble efforts to break
aways but feeling that eventually, was
doc ned.
When the Nugents Left London for
Scarborough, and my aunt said to me
with unpleasant playfulness, "Well, if
yod don't follow us, Ishall come back
and fetch you," felt helplessly that
she would do as she said, and 80 / fol-
lowed. Iwculd i rather have gone down
to Nugent, quiet as it was, or even have
stayed in town to be worried, by law
yers about leases, back rents, convey
ances, and all the rest of it, but could
not, andthere 1t was.
Don't you think so 7" said my aunt.
Don't think-I beg your PARDON"
/ said. "Don't I think what r.
Lady Nugent tapped me on the shoul-
der good humoredly, with a significant
half-glancc at Cecile. i
'Moonstruck, Robert" said she,
"Well, come and see rs tomorrow. We
are at Londesborough Terrace, PrOyi-
dence Villa. lHideons name, isn't it y
And not quite the most fashionable
part, either. But economy must be con-
sidered, you know" Cecile gave me an
absent little nod, and two pale kid
fingers, and they passed on. / did not
offer to join them.
Oddly enough, that last phrase of my
aunt's fingered with ME, and kept re-
peating itself with q certain patbOs,
q Economy must be considered, you
know Yes, / did know it. Thes had
very little to live upon The wonder
was how they contrised to live at all,
and keep up the appearance they did.
After all, wss she very much to blame