Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-06-25
Ioonttnued from Saturdays Commercial.


Before the evening was over, everybody
saw that MT.-DeverenX was quite captivated
by the beautiful widow. He did not abso-
lItely spend the whole time at her side but
whenever he was with anybody else, he re-
lapsed into his usual reserve and silence,
proving such a very unsatisfactory cOmpan-
ion that several young ladies were reduced to
the verge of despair by total exhaustion of
their conversational ideas. 1t was only when
he was again under the influence of Mrs.
Inglesby that be revived and became once
more genial and pleasant companion. Of
course there was but one explanation for a
state of affairs like this and that explana-
ton the company In Mrs. Reynolds drawing
room were not slow TO give ''Your hand
some sister-in-law has accomplished what all
the young ladies in Northorpe promised them
selves the pleasureof doing" said an old lady
to Rose; and Rose made the most foolish
speech in the world When she answered: 81
beg You will make one exception when you
sneak of the young ladies of Northorpe, Mrs.
Holmes. have neither promised myself the
pleasure, nor felt any desire to attract Mr..
Devereux. "Oh, my dear, you can't sup
pose that / was thinking of you" said Mrs.
Holmes, apOlogetically. And In truth she
had not been thinking of Rose at all, know
ing that she was an heiress, and therefore
uuite able to please herself in matrimonial
way. But after this speech, her eyes were
suddenly opened, Soon everybody in the
room knew that "Rose Inglesby was ready TO
bite off her sister-in-law's head because she
had secured Mr.. Deyereux.
Great was Mrs. Inglesby's dismay when
she hAd heard how matters had gone ON that
momentous evening. Too late she recognized
her own folly, too late she felt that she would
have given any thing to undo her own work.
It is the highest compliment TO the good
lady's simplicity TO say that such a fear as
this had never entered her head. Rose in
her eyes, was inyincible, and she had boldly
thrown Rose In juxtaposition with a woman
whom any ordinary mother would have
avoided as men avoid the plague-a woman
of beauty 80 remarkable, of attractions so
great, that no girl could safely have encoun-
tered her as a rival When Rose made her
malicious report of how the fortunes of the
night had gone, Mrs. Ingesby could freely
have choked herself, If choking herself would
at all have mended matters. But, as that
was out of the question, she could only think
perhaps he will change his mind when he
sees Rose by daylight"
The falacy of this hope was SOON demon
strated, Two days later, Mr.. Devereux cal
led-supported by the liberal aid and counte-
nance Of Mrs. Reynods-saw Rose by day
light, and barely said six commonplace, civil
words TO her. II is impossible to be very
devoted in the course of ceremonious
morning call; but as much as was possible
he devoted himself to Alice. His eyes fol-
lowed her, his whole attention was engrossed
by her and when he left, Mrs Inglesby was
justified in her despairng thought-'It is all
over. That dreadful Kennon is inevitable y
A week passed another week followed,
and still the dreadful Kennon had not made
his appearance. Some people smiled, and
said he would not come back at all, that he
had no desire to see his cousin basking in the
prosperity which might have been his own,
and that he had quietly taken himself off the
scene. Others thought differently and
among the latter was Miss Inglesby Rose
kept her opinion to herself but in her own
mind, she was firmly persuaded that Kennon
would return. That fund of vanity which
often stands a woman in good stead, assured
her that he would come back, if only for the
farewell that had not been said, for the last
words that had not been spoken. "IIe might
leave Northorpe in this ungraaious way, but
he never would leave me-" she thought, con-
sidering the while what a pleasure il would
be to show him that she at least did not court
Dir. DevereuX's society, nor desire hts atten-
tons. True, il would be several degrees bet
ter If she could show him that these atten
tions had been at her command, and that she
had declined them but since this was i'm
possible, she was fain to console herself with
the thought that it was at least the more dig
nlfied position never to have received them
never, as she tiattered herself, to have ap-
peared conscious of Mr.. Devereux's exist
ence.
This dignifed pose, however. became
rather trying and awkward as time went on,
aud the ice having once been broken, Mr.
Deyereux found his way very frequently into
the Inglesby circle. At first he came like
every other visitor, In orthodox and formal
fashion, through the front duor; but before
long he discovered that short cut through
Inc garden was much more convenient. and
that 1t was very pleasant indeed TO drop into
a sort of ami de Ia mdisOR place in the
Dowery drawing room, full of the scent of
roses, the graceful presence of women, music
now and then, bright smiles and social ease
always. Despite her bitter disappointment,
Mrs nglesby could not help liking the young
man. lie was so quiet, so unObtrusiye. SO
thoroughly refined, 50 genial, when he once
fairly thawed. ooh, If he would only fail
IN love with Rose!" she said to her husband.
But provokingly enough, the colonel seemed
eAcellently well satisfied with matters as they
were.
He's tiife toe grave and dignified for
a butterfly like Rose, he said. 81 think he
SHOWS his sense and his taste in choosing
Allce. She's grand creature, and by
George any man might be proud to win her.
There is nothing should like better than to
see her settled with US for life-iust oyer the
way, in that fine old Devereux house, tool"
The house where have always hoped to
evaporation.
IL toas trying to the poor woman, beyond
doubt-and the more trying because she had
no sympathy from anybody, unless, indeed
!as she often imagined) there was sympathy
III ~ Ahce's large, golden brown eyes. Mr..
DeVereux's devotion to the fair young widow
became in short time exceedingly manifest,
but 1t was Impossible for the most carping
tongue in Northorpe to say that she encour-
aged him. Neither did she repe his atten-
uohs. The gentle stateliness, the absolutely
perfect courtesy of her manner, was the
same TO him asto every one else-a trifle
warmer, perhaps, because of the familiar po-
sillon which he had gained, and also because
she liked him sincerely.
-, hose, on her part, could not help feeling a
hllle sore about the unconscious yet most
successful rivalry of her sister-in-law. Every
oouy In Northorpe was raving over ''that
oea9tlful Mrs. Ihglesby," and Rose would
not have been human If she had not felt that
II was little hard. Her own friends, her
own admirers, her own vassals, were offering
uleI Incense at another shrine before her