Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-05-13

here very often, and you seldom interfere
with our tete-a-tetes."
Then Cornelia gave musical little laugh,
that left her mother in doubt as to whether
she was serious or in fun, and disappeared
very abruptly from the room. But the
truth was that she only hoped the yiscount
would propose; be really had not done so as
yet
Meanwhile, on the afternoon of this con-
7ersation between mother and daughter,
pretty blonde-hairei Laura Lyon sat in her
small, out Of the way chamber, on the third
floor of Mrs. Stanhope's s residence and won.
dered what special reason Providence had
for sending her into the world, and why,
since she seemed to have been created to be
snubbed, and despised, and traupIed on, it
would not be much better if her thoroughly
useless existence came to close altogether.
These were very wicked thoughts, Of
coursei but then poor Laura, who had known
a life far different from her present one,
was excusabe, perhaps, for thinking them.
mestic happiness, until that dark eighteenth
year, in which death followed upon death
with such fearful suddenness, and she was
made an orphan almost before she had com
pretended the bitter fact Then had come
the knowledge of her father insolyent con-
dition and her own utter pennilessness.
Silently to herself-while she looked that
afternoon upon the snowy pavements of the
streets beneath her, and felt the cold of
Fapidly-strengthening December wind sweep
past the panes. and chill them more and
more with every gust--silently to herself, |
say, did Laura Lyon recall the handsome.
genteel face of one whom she had known
and loved four years ago 1t was the old
story. They had sworn very passionate
yows@to each other; but the course of true
love had run roughly, indeed and her faith
er, unwilling that Laura should become the
wife of poor man, had forbidden their
meetings. And at lasy the lover had re-
solved to go and fight the world; and fnal
stolen meeting bad taken place between
them, and he went to India, aud-so it had
all ended. If he had ever written to her,
Laura had not received his letters.
Quite lost in her sad thoughts, she let
the day slowly darken until it had left her
little room completely in shadow. At last
a servant knocked at the door, saying.
Dinner is served, Miss Lyon p and Laura
presently descended to the dinning room.
Mrs. Sranhope and her daughter we're
already seated at the table when their rela-
tive entered the room. The latter's face,
Laura could not help observing, wore sort
of angry scowl Miss Stanhope soon gave
vocal proof that she was annoyed.
Laura, she exclaimed You have
horrid habit of coming down to dinner.
You almost always enter the dining room
after soup has been served. Perhaps you
would be aide to appear more punctualy if
We rang several peals of huge bell. ="
Laura volunteered no response, under
standing how useless such course would
prove. She seated herself, and, with the
exception of a few words to Mrs. Stauhope
to excuse her, received that lady's acquies-
| eenee, and left the dining room.
She knew that her calm, patient silence
had in no manner shamed or humbled the
naughty, supercilious nature of her cousin
Cornelia She knew that nothing could
ever change that cousins contemptuous
cruel nothing, except either her
own absence, or that of Corneia, from Mrs
Stanhope's house. 1t was very hard, poor
Laura tearfully meditated, being called upon
almost daily and hourly to bear the covert
sneers and SCOTS Of one she felt to be her
moral inferior How pair of manly blus
eyes, that she had once known and loved to
gaze upon, would have flushed with indig
nation, in the old days of courtship, had
she told that brave lover of hers any story
of injustice and insolenee like that which
she could now tell.
"0h, let me bid good bye to all hopeless
longings, the girl at length murmered.
''He can not know-he is far, far away-he
has, perhaps, forgot"
She somehow could not tell herself that
be had forgotten her, And so she sat in
her little chamber, and dreamed that he
loved her still very, very dearly, and that
they would one day meet.
Again there came knock at the door,
This time a servant said, Miss Cornelia
wishes, Miss Lyon, that you viii please come
down stairs and arrange her hair for the
opera this evening
Five minutes later, Laura stood meekly
behind her cousins chair, arranging Corne,
/ las glossy tresses as somehow only her
nimble fingers could arrange them. This
work performed, in countless minor details
of her toilet Cornelia did not hesitate un
blushingly to ask Laura taste and assist
ance.
you really would make capital maid, !"
Miss Stanhope remarked as she surveyed
her costume in an opposite mirror, being
now thoroughly dressed for the opera
marie" glauciug toward her French fem
me de chanlbfe, "will have TO look out for
her laurcls. Here, Laura, just carry my
white merino cloak down stairs, won't you,
while follow want you to pull out the
folds of my dress when reach the dining
room, so that these founces may not look
tumbled as | receive Yiscount Ellery.
Certainly" Laura said, receiving the
cloak which her cous offered.
Miss Stanhope and her cousin had been
in the dining room about FIVE minutes, when
the former glanced impatiently toward a
clock on the mantle, exclaiming, "It Ger
tainly is very odd that Lord Ellery doesn'
make his appearance. He ought undoubt,
edly to be here by Eve minutes to eight 0 :
clock; besides, Faust is my avorate opera,
and don't want to miss a note Of it. Nam
ma"-to her mother, who bad just entered