Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-20
lay open, but forgotten, be-


difference is coming this evening"
he said, ono morning about n week
after my arrival, as he was finding
. tho place lnlways q long business, }
before commencing to translate.
0"Who ?" l asked
"Florcnce, my sister, you know
1t is always jollicr when she is here
You ought to see her ride. Most
girls are great muffs, I think, but she
isn't Bit"
| heard little more of Florence,
but 1 did not sec her until dinner
time. We had taken our seats when
she entered, and hurricdly took scat
opposite me. Mrs. Gawston murmur-
cd the customary words, and VIC
bowed across the table. The CONVEX
sation was general, US our party was
SO small. Miss Gawston, who l found
was grown up, and not the somewhat
hoydcnish young lady her brothers
! description had led mo to expect,
Joined in it freely, and we found scv-
cral things to say to one another
across the taLle. l thought her cx-
trcmcly pleasant, I remember, and
remarkably pretty. She seemed about
nineteen, and had just returned, I
found, to my horror, from Il visit to
! some friends in the west.
"My daughter tells me she met
i some Miss Luxtons while she was
away. Arc they any relations of
yours?' asked Mrs. Gaw<ton. l may
say that the lady and I were on very
pleasant terms; but l had every
evening to encounter the severity of
black velvet l used to wonder whcth-
cr she had but one dress and to feel
my teeth on edge if by any chance
my hand touched her robe as we
marched into dinner.
"The daughters Of Sir Grahamc
Pcnrcston," explained Miss Gawston.
felt very rcd rs explained that
they (heins really my sistcrs) were
connections, and then made vigor-
Gus effort to change the conversation.
AS the Colonel and l entered the
drawing-room, Miss Gawston, seated
at the piano-forte, was playing the
Large Apassionate," from Bcthovcn's
Second Piano Forte Sonata. "Oh
pray do not stop" said, as she paus-
cd on our entrance that movement
is more than beautiful" Thus pres
scd, she continued, then on the Schcr-
20, and lastly the brilliant Rondo in
Splendid style. I was delighted.
"1ou are fond Of music" she said.
"Vcry."
"You play perhaps, or sing"
sl play the violin, and l sing to a
certain extent"
was longing for her to ask me to
bring my violin down. I saw music
volume close by labelled 'Violin and
Pianotortc." Mrs. Gawston sat funer-
al statucsquc and immovablc. Col.
Gawston was asleep and his son read
ing Maync Rcids something or other.
Miss Gawston was trifing with the
keys, possibly she feared asking the
tutor such thing. I was desperate.
"Shall l fetch my violin and music 2"
l said. Without waiting for an an
swcr I went. The next moment we
had commenced, and during the even
ing, We played together, and then
cmEoldencd by this beginning, we
sang together. What happens once
usually happens twice, and the next
evening we occupied ourselves in the
same way. Not always only in the
evening though, but many stray
half:hour during the day we found
sufficient time for little music. Then
also she rodo very well and as her
brother and I rode almost daily, We
often found ourselves taking the same
direction; SO altogether saw a good
deal of Miss Gawston. Need l tell
the result? Before q fortnight was
over 1 was deeply in love and my
intention of recommending Colonel
Gawston to look out for another tutor
was untitled. We. often met before
dinner in tho library, where there
was large Japanese screen that shut
out the door. Moving very slowly
towards tho room one evening near
dinnef-timo l overheard some words
that made me pause before entering,
and cough violently, if not cffectualIy
in order that my presence might DO
known.
"Aheml my dear"-the voice was
Colonel Gawston's-"don't you think
my dear, that Mr.. Luxton is = ahem-
rather, just little, perhaps not pru-
IDENTIFY intimate with Florence ?"
"I have thought so, certainly" re
sponded his wife; and I was very
glad this morning to receive an invita-
tion from Lady Fitz Pcdigry for her,
as it will take her away at once.