The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-01-23


one which Miss Stanbury "oulu Ny 10
means use promiscuously III mIising TO
her nearest relative. que hau not IN,
tended to use it when sne commenced
Sar letter to Priscilla. But the respect
af which she had spoken bad glowed,
ond had warmed itself into something
of temporary love; and feeling at the
moment that she was an affectionate
aunt, Miss StanbGry had so put herself
down in her letter. Having done such a
deed, she felt that Dorothy, though Do
rothy knew nothing about it, ought in
her gratitude to listen patiently to any
thing that she might now choose to say
against Priscilla.
But Dorothy was in truth very miser-
able, and in her misery wrote long let
ter that afternoon to her MOTHER
which, however, it will not be necessary
to place entire among the Stansury rec
ords,-begging that she might be In,
formed as to the true circumstances OF
the case. She did not say word of GEN.
sure in regard either to her mother or
sister; bat she expressed an opinion IN
the mildest words which she could use,
that, if anything had happened which
had compromised their names since
their residence at the Clock House, she,
Dorothy, had better 60 home and join
them. The meaning of which was that
it would not become her to remain In
the house in the Close, if the house
in the Close would be disgraced by her
presence. Poor Dorothy had taught her.
self to think that the iniquity OF roar
ing lions spread itself very widely.
In the afternoon she made such prop
osition to her aunt in very Ambiguous
terms.
go homem said Miss Stanbury.
'Nowp
"If you think it best, Aunt Stan
bury" :,
"And put yourself in the middle OF all
this iniquity and abomination don't
suppose you want to know the woman
"No, indeed!'
"Or the man !"
80, Aunt Stanbury"
otis my belief that no decent gentle
man in Exeter void look at you again
if YOU were to live among them at
Nuncombe Putney while all this Is 60
ing on. No, no. Let one of you be saved
out of it at least"
Aunt Stanbury had more than once
made use of expressions which brought
the faintest touch of gentle pink up to
her niece's cheeks. We must do Doro.
thy the justice of saying that she had
never dreamed of being looked at by
any gentleman, whether decent or lnde-
cent. Her life at Nuncombe Pntney had
been of such nature, that though she
knew that other girls were looked at,
and even made love to, and that they
got married and had children, no dim
vision of such a career for herself had
ever presented itself to her eyes. She
had known very well that her mother
and sister and herself were people apart,
ladies, and yet SO extremely poor that
they could only maintain their rank by
the most rigid seclusioD. To live, and
work unseen, was what the world had
ordained for her. Then her call to Ex-
eter had come upon her, and she had
conceived that she was henceforth to be
the humble companion of very imper-
ious old aunt. Her aunt, indeed, was
imperious, but did not seem to require
humility in her companion. All the
good things that were eaten and drank
were divided between them with the
strictest impartiality. Dorothy's cush-
ion and hassock in the church and in
tho cathedral were the same as her
aunt'S. Her bedroom was made very
comfortable for her. Her aunt never
gave her any orders before company,
and always spoke of her before the SER
wants as one whom they were to obey
and respect. Gradually Dorothy came
to understand the meaning of this,-but
her aunt would sometimes say things
about young men which she did not
quite understand. Could it be that her
aunt supposed that any young man
would come and wish to marry her,
her, Dorothy Stanburyf She herself
had not quite so strong an aversion to
men in general as that which Priscilla
felt, but she had not as yet found that
any of those whom she had seen at Ex-
eter were peculiarly agreeable to her.
Before she went to bed that night, her
aunt said word to her which startled
her more than she had ever been star
tied before.