The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-23

English blood must have been mixed at some
former time with their obscure and unknown
ancestry. Survey this English nation, and
behold a tall, clean, plump, and solid people!
Look at their citesl What magnidcence in
their public buildings! What admirable order
and propriety in their streets! Admire their
lave, combining the eternal principle of
Justice with the other eternal principle of
pounds, shillings, and pence; and applying the
product TO all civil injuries from an injury to
mans honor, TO an Injury to mans nose You
have ruined my daughter-pounds, sbillmgs,
and pence You have knocked me down with
a blow in my iace-pounds, shilhngs, and
pence Where was the material prosperity OF
such a country as that to stopf Obenreizer
projecting himself into the future, Jailed to see
the end of it. Obenrezer's enthusiasm entteated
permission to eXhae itself, English fashion, IN a
toast. Heie is our modest little dluuer over,
here is our frugal dessert on the table, and here
is the admirer OF England conforming to ma
tIoual customs, and making speech A toast
to your white cliffs of Albion, Mr.. Vendale to
your national virtues your charming climate
and your fascinating womenl to your Hearths,
TO your Homes, to your Habeas Corpus and to
all your other institutions In one word Ito
England Heep-heep-heep hOorayl
Obenreizer's voice had bareIy chanted the
last note of the English cheer, the speechless
friend had barely drained the last drop out OF
bis glass, when the festive proceedings we're in
terrupted by a modest tap at the door.
woman-servant came in, and approached her
master with little note in her hand. Oben'
reizer opened the note with iIoHn; and, after
reading 1t with an expression of genuine annoy
auce, passed it on to his compatrlot an1 friend.
Vendales spirits rose as he watched these pro-
ceedings. Had be found an ally in the annoying
little note? Was the long-looked-for chance
actually coming at last?
81 am afraid there is no help for it?" said
0benI eizer, addressing his fellow-c countryman.
81 am AFRAID We must CO."
The speechess friend handed back the letter,
shrugged his heavy shoulders, and poured him
self out last glass of VINE. His fat hngers lin
gered fondly round the neck OF the bottle. They
pressed it with little amatory squeeze at part
ing. His globular eyes looked dimly, as through
an intervening haze, at Vendale and Marguerite.
His heavy articulation labored, and brought
forth a whole sentence at birth. 81 think"
he said 81 should have liked little more
wne.n His breath failed him after that effort;
he gaspCd and walked 10 the door
Obenreizer addressed himself to Vendale with
an appearance OF the deepest distress.
II am so shocEed, 90 confused, so distressed"
he began. "a misfortune has happened to one
OF my compstriots. He is alone, he is Ignorant
OF your lauguage-l and my good friend, here,
have no choice but to go and help him. What
can say in my excuse How can describe
my a1liictioD at deprving myself In this way of
| the honor OF your compauyW
He paused, evidently expecting to see Ven
dale take up his hat and retire. Discerning his
opportunity at last, Vendale determined to do
nothing Of the kind. He met 0benrelZer deX-
terously, with Gbenreizer's own weapons.
pray don't distress yoursell" he said. "Ill
wait here, with the greatest pleasure till you
Marguerite blushed deeply and turned away
to ber embroidery frame in corner by the
window. The film showed itself in Obenrezer's
eyes, and the smile came something sourly to
ObenrGZer's lips. To have told Vendale that
there was no reasonable prospect of his coming
back in good time would have been to risk
offending q man whose favorable opinion was
OF solid commercial importance to him. Accept
ing his defeat with the best possible grace, he
declared himself TO be equally honored and de-
lighted by Vendale's proposal. $50 frank, so
fiendiy, so English I" He hustled about, ap-
parently looking for something he wanted, dis
appeared for a moment through the folding
doors communicating with the next room, came
back with his hat and coat, and protesting that
he would return at the earliest possible moment
| embraced Verdale's elbows, and vanished from
the scene In company with the speechless friend
Vendale turned to tie corner by the window,
| in which Marguerite had placed herself with
| her work. There, as If she had dropped from
the ceiling, or come up through the hoor-
| there in the old attitude, with her face to the
stove-sat an Obstacle that had not been fore
seen, in the person of Madame Dor She half
| got up, half looked over her broad shoulder at
| Vendale and pumped down again. was sue at
| work? Yes, Cleaning 0beureiZer's gloves, as
befoIe2 No; darning Obenrelzers stockings.
| The case was now desperate. Two serious
| considerations presented themselvesto Nendale.
| Was it possible to put Madame Dor into the
| stove? The stove wouldn't hold her. Was II
| possible to treat Madame Dor, not as living
woman, but as an article OF furniture Could
the nina be brought to contemplate this respect
able matron purely in the light of chest OF
| drawers, with q black gauze head-dress aeci
| dentally left on the top of 1t Yes, the mind
| could be Droueht to do that With compare.
| lively trihlng effort Vendales mind did it. AS
he took his place on the old-tashioned window
seat, close by Marguerite and her embroidery, a
slight movement appeared in the chest ol
draw ers, but no remark issued from 1t. Let t be
| remembered that solid furniture Is not easy to
| move and that it has this advantage in cOnse.
quence- there is nc tear of upsetting it.
| Unusually silent aud unusually constrained
with the bright color last fading from her face
with teverish energy possessing her fingers
derry aud worked as if her life depended on
it. Hardly less agitated himself, Vendale fell
the importance OF leaving her very gently tC
the ayoWai which he was eager to make-tO the
other sWeeter avoWal STILL which he was long
ing to hear. woman's love is never to bG
taken by storm; 1t yields insensbly TO a system
| of gradual approach. 1t ventures by the round
about way, and listens to the low voice. Ven
dale led her memory back to their past meeting,
when they were travelling together IN SWitzer
| land. They revived the Impressions, they re
called the events of the happy bygone times
Little by little, Marguerlte's coustrant vanished
She smiled, she was Interested, she looked O.
| Vendale, she grew idle with her needle, shC
made false stitches in her work. Their voice
sank lower and lower; their races bent nearer
to each other as they spoke. Aud Madame
Dor? Madame Dor behaved like an angel ShC
never looked round; she never said a word; she
went on with ObenreiZeI's stockings. Pulling
each stocking up tight over her left arm, anC
holding that arm alot from time to time, L
catch the light on her work, there Wer
moments, delicate and indescribable mo
ments when Madame Dor appeared to b.
sitting upside down, and contemplating
one of her own respectable legs elevated
in the air. As the minutes wore on, these ele
vatIOns followed each other at longer and longe