The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-06

Finch. -
eve Just come from London, Mis-
Brown" he said, smiling too, and looIIinl
quite unlike the cold, hard, formal lawye
who used to Brighten her into such heip
less confusion OF mind. 1--WE been ava,
on some little business Of yours" To M
surprise, and rather to his dissatisfaction
Miss Brown looked neither astonishetl moi
curious. She bent her eyes on thu
ground, and she actually seemed TO BE-
smiling to herself in q half conscious, half
amused way, Us II she knew what he wa,
going to tell her.
"You haven't been seeing Mr.. Dixon r
he exclaimed eagerly. "BHt surely he car
have told you nothtng|
mo. But, Mr.. Finch, | was expecting
TO see you to-day" She hesitated, blush.
cd, and then went on with something o.
her old nervousness. "And know what
you have come To tell me; know how
kind you have been in this matter"
"You know! You know that Major
Fortescue, now that the whole story has
been fully explained to him, has agreed
to divide the fortune with your"
"Hes; know oil you said 10 him
about me-" She was blushing deeper
and deeper. "Pm sure 1t was very good
Of youi but, indeed, you know, Mi.
Finch, don't deserve any credit ut all.
couldn't have acted dilFerently"-
"Blt how in the world have you heard
OF thisI Why, the matter was only
finally settled yesterday morning he.
tween Major FOrtescue's lawyer and nv.
selfV'
81 heard of it-yestcrday afternoon"
Yesterday afternoon But who could
have told your"
ut was-Major Fortcscue himselr!'
MIR. Finch sat and stared at her. Then
she reused herself TO last struggle with
her shyness. Mr.. Finch had been such a
kind friend; he was the very first she
would like to tell of her new prospects.
ut turns out, Mr.. Finch, that Major
Fortescue and | are old friends. knew
him long ago as Charles Lawrence"
"Oi course; that's his name-Charles
Lawrence FQrtesclle; but 1 supposed
Lawrence was christian name"
"No; he took the name of Fortescue
several years ago, for some family rca.
sons"
"But how came il that he didn't re.
member yOur name2 You haven't
changed II since lie knew you"
Miss Brown colored. She was not
going TO confess that she was supposed to
have been transformed into n widowed
Mrs. Dixon-htGt should remain for ever
more secret between themselves. ooh,
Brown Is such common name; he never
thought of me as-as" -
"As Tie Miss Brown. with whom he was
going to law. And 80 But how did
he find you out at last? And what brought
him down here yesterday, l wonder l
know he was here u week ago on some
business. How did you chance to meet 2"
1t was well for Miss Browns compos.
IRE that Mr.. Finch propounded so many
questions; she needed only to answer the
last. I'VE happened TO meet in the
street."
"And so, then, you cleared 1t all up?
Well, its very odd" a..
"And, Mr.. Finch" she continued hasti.
y, "he told me what he had meant to do. ;"
what he had meant to do! But sure
y he means it still It's all settled, you
know" @
mo, its not-that is, it isn't settled
quite as you suppose. l wouldn't agree
70 take back any Of the money, you know.
| mean
"Miss Brown" he interrupted, lairly
losing bis patience, really, this is 100
bad. When | thought l had got every
Thing comfortably arranged for yOu-and
now, too, that you find he is an old &C.
luaintance Of your own! And you talk
Of throwing back his offer! II you're
90 to be so overscrupulous as all this, ]
can only beg to decline all further charge
ofyour affairs" and Mr.. Finch got up
very sLillly and, angrily, and took his hat.
"Stop, stopw she SAID eagerly, as she
put out her still pretty, fair hands to de-
lain him. "You don't understand. |
lon't want-AIajor Fortcscue doesn't
want-wc have changed our plan-I
mean have agreed to something else"
what hare you agreed to?"
VI have agreed to marry him. / told
you knew Inn long ago"
CHAPTER NV.
Tho wedding breakfast took place in
Mr.. .Finch's house. Mrs. Lorimer re.
turned from Scarborough in time to be
present at the ceremony, and Mr.. Dixon's'
.hrec little girls were the trademarks.
He himself was still absent-"on some
particular business" his sister said. Miss
Brown was secretly well pleased. His
presence and absence were, indeed, in one
'ense indifferent to her; but she well
Knew now what was the real cause of his
keeping away from her wedding, and she
was glad in her gentle soul that he should
be saved such pain, or a shadow of such
pain as she had known on certain wed.
ling day, long, long ago-so long ago now
hat it seemed to have been an epoch- in
mother life than hers.
miss Brown" is almost forgotten in
Winchester. But occasionally tall, pleas.
mt looking, elderly gentleman, and fair,
lately lady, come to visit MIR. and Mrs.
Finch, and then there is much calling and
linner.giying, and general festivity. or
he two, Colonel Fortescue is more popu.
ar in society than his wife. She is quiet
md shy, and little formal still. But
hose who have got to know her well,
owe her dearly, and perhaps she is all the
more precious to her friends because it has
;ost them little trouble to find out her
worth. But Mrs. Fortescue, with her
pleasant husband, and comfortable for
June, and cheerful London house, is a per-
ION worth cultivating. Perhape Miss
Brown would hardly have been so.
Mrs. Lorimer holds to the opinion she
'nce expressed to her brother, that "Pris.
lila was really very good creature.
She hos some reason to say so, for though
Mrs. Fortsecue does not care 10 come very
)lten to Elm Grove, she is always ready to,
open her doors TO her cousins, and Mrs.
Lorimer finds her house very convent
mt asylum during her now pretty fire.
luent excursions to town. And her nieces
ire still devoted to Cousin Priscilla, who,
n her turn, is really fond of the girls, and
,.,aknIJY, I,o - ~.