Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-05-13
miscellaneous.
MERELY A MENIAL,
L0nQ1eU9w.

You are altogether too harsh, Cornelia.
in your mode of treating Laura Lyon since
she became a member of our family. The
poor girl has more than once noticed, | am
very certain, your naughty, supercilious be-
havior
"Le- her notice it, mamma, was Corne-
LA Stanhope's scornfully-spoken.. answer,
while the young lady's handsome dark eyes
flashed imperiously enough. For my
part, / Gnd it quite impossible to restrain
my dislike for that girl As for her being
member of our family, must say, man.
ma, that l decidedly object to her being
called anything of the sort. She is depen.
dent upon our kindness an orphan to whom
we have charitably given shelter-nothing
more.
but she is your cousin, Cornelia-the
child of your dead fathers dead sister.
who made horribly low marriage. by
the way, retorted the young lady, IF re-
ports speak correctly 1t is useless for you
to scold me, mamma, about my manner of
conducting myself toward Laura, Between
ourselves, / think it very probable that I
shall treat hen much worse before treat
her much better. She is an out-a and-out
nuisance
You arc shockingly wicked to call her
so, exclaimed Mrs Stanbope, who, though
what is termed weak woman, was now and
then given to transitory fits of strong mind.
edness in her mode of defending those she
loved. There is nothing which you have
asked Laura to do since her arrival in the
house that she has refused, or even besita-
ted
Nonsense, mamma; | know what you
are going to say - Miss Stanhope broke in.
''Of course, Laura has arranged my hair
for the opera and for balls whenever [ have
asked her She has also done several 9th.
er menial services. | don't know that |
am particularly obliged to her for perform
ing them. She ia certainly well-fed and
clothed at the household expense; and she
should consider our kindness in thus feed
ing and clothing her, ample payment for the
slight favors which are required at her
hands Aud now, please, discontinue this
argument on the subject of Laura Apro.
pos Of the opera, Lord Ellery has sent word
to know whether you and / desired to occu-
by his box this evening, | immediately
wrote an acceptance in reply to the note,
feeling sure that you would ike to see
'Fouse' once again. y
@Wil he accompany us
A faint tinge Of color stole in Cornelia
Stanhope' olive check, ofcourse, mann
ma, she answered
Il suppose so, Ms. Stanhopo said.
30 you know, Cornelis, that l considered
the attentions Of Lord Ellery most marked
and devoted toward yourseif?'
'Do you, mamma pa short nervous
laugh followed the words
His father, the Marquis of Faucourt, is
very rich, is he not? ?"
Worth two hundred thousand year, ]
believe"
And you would marry him-if he asked
you, CorneHa2''
The young lady bit her lip. The SEN
tsnce, ''if he asked you, y grated very disa-
greeably upon her ear. During the past
two or three weeks, it had grown the ruling
purpose of Cornelia Stanhope's thoughts tc
become the wife Of Viscount EIlery, She
had resolved that no amount Of stern, stead
fast endeaFor should be lacking, on hel
part, in che matter of attaining this object
1t is, indeed very probable that she had 40
yet fully satisfied herself as to whether Low,
| for Lord EIlery formed even a slight motiy'
of her present course of action, but il is al
together sure that she was aware how domi
nant motive worldly interest formed
How do You know that be has not al
ready asked me, mamma r. she said, in an
sWer to her mothers question. "He call