Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-06-12

at our ball ?' For the colonel expressed
hope we should be all there to receive
our guests
us that your only reason for wishing
to be early ?" But | won't chaff you,
nv dear Charlie" replied Robin. ''To
relieve your mind, let me assure you
you will be in ample time for the first
dance. The Fanshaw girls have each
promising Irritation on hand, and are not
likely to be late So YOU come with me
to Nethercotes; we'll drive out about
four o'clock, and | promise you very
agreeable afternoon.
| consent. but not without some fears,
for one well knows how difficult it is to
start from a country house eight miles
soff so as to be in anything like time.
The next day at four O'Clock, found me
driving with Robin through Mr.. Fan
shaw's pretty pleasure ground, and APP
preaching the large white verandah-
guarded house. My friend was right;
we had very pleasant afternoon the
girls were large-eyed, large-limbed and
large-voiced, and sang to perfection.
The dinner, Also, when it arrived, was
perfection but it was unpunctual, and
nv fears were realized when, on the
ladies leaving us, looked at the clock
and saw the hands fast approaching
nine. The ladies had to dress, and |
saw the gentlemen of the party intended
to fortify themselves against the efatigues
of the coming evening by .'big drink,
and ] reflected with the calm agony of
despair, that if | were enabled to keep.
my appointment, it must be by mir
acle. However, | determined upon
making an attempt, and leaning across
the table, / said to Hood, 81 must be
off. VIII you let me order the dogcart
at once? ?" -.
''Couldn't be done, dear boy, he said,
with provoking calmness; 81 should
have to pay a. doctors bill either for
your neck or my. horses knees to a
dead certainty. No one but myself
shall drive Semiramis she takes after
her beautiful namesake, who, by all ac
counts, was a rum one. Besides, / have
promised to take Fanshaw over, and you
are to cavalier the ladies.
There was nothing more to be said,
and / wisely gave up the idea of being
in time, and trusted to the chapter of
accidents. And very long chapter it
was. 1t was exactly half-past ten when
we got under way, and it was not by
any means plain sailing after that.
What with a jibbing horse, a broken
bolt. and something wrong with Hoods
turn-out-he insisted on our waiting
While he remedied it. it being, hesaid,
so unsociable to divide parties-it was
twelve o'clock before we reached Ayl-
mer's Hall, and by that time the fun
was raging fast and furious. OF course
7 I, ~ 1anan with fhp hEsc
Fanshaws directly we got into the ball
room, and j did so with as good grace
as was compatible with the fact that the
whole time / was looking eagerly about
me for Marguerite. She was nowhere
to be seen. There were gardens at the
back of the Hall, and these were lit up
for the occasion with celored lamps, and
there were seats placed at intervals for
the comfort Of exhausted dancers. I'm
meGiatefy on obtaining nay release from
the second Miss Fanshaw l went off on
a systematic search for Marguerite, and
this-T prosecuted with unflagging perse-
verance, but with no success, for a
quarter of an hour.
On my return to the Hall, and just as
| entered an ante-room, almost dazZled
with the full blaze of light, | saw my
lost love approaching me | did not
notice her partner, who Immediately
disappeared to get her some tea, but
greeting her eagerly, and pouring out
apologies for my non-appearance before,
| solicited the honor of a dance. To my
.astonishment she received me as if she
had never seen me before. and regretted
in the orthodox young. lady style her
inability to confer on me the desired
,Ixa fNyf fafxv rod
for the rest of the evening. Just then
her partner returned, bearing cup of
tea. and to my further establishment
accosted me with Halo Charliei
how are yoa?" and there was my twin
brother, whom / thought safe at Mon
treal, dressed in the Rifle Brigade uni
form, and evidently carrying on fflrta-
ton with my love.
-''Why, when did you come, and why
thus got up?" questioned, having re-
turned his greeting with brotherly
affection.
''Too long a story to tell you now,
old fellow" he replied, and murnuring
something about ''lost my luggage
| borrowed your coat-rather lark, y
rushed forward to relieve Miss Duval of
her emptied cup, and taking her upon
| HIS aTiA dEdlus III duOIHGl lAlAANkAC AAAAA
| disappeared from the room, leaying me
in a state of mind in which mystifica-
| ton, anger and astOnishment struggled
| for the mastery. Indeed / began to
| fancy that the fumes of Mr.. Fanshaw's 8
claret had turned my. brain, and be-
| took myself to a distant part of the gar
den to collect my scattered senses. The
fresh air had the desired effect, and all
IL M hrofhar
who was always up to some lark or an
other, and took especial delight in mys-
1 tifying people with our extraordinary
resemblance, had borrowed my uniform
for that purpose, and had certainly sue
ceeded with poor Marguerite. It. was
not pleasant idea to think of the mis-
| takes she might be guilty of in taking
| him for me. 1t was evidently impossi-
| BILE to enlighten her respecting the delu-
| sion she was under, and with a.laugh at
so ridiculous a dilemma | determined TO
| 90 to her parents and explain the matter
to them. l found my little friend Eu-
nice doing wall-fOwer between her
| father and mother, looking rather dis
consulate, and being received with one
OF her prettiest smiles, | carried her. off,
! nothing 10th, to dance a quadrille which
was Just Delng 1Ormed near US as luCh
would have it, her sister and my brother
were yis.a-vis, aud Marguerite, when
she saw us. colored up to the roots OF
her hair. Eunice looked puzzled, and
kept on glancing from one to the other.
seThats my twin brother, Miss Eunice,
7 said at last, 'sisn't he like me?"
"Ohi' she exclaimed. 81 never =
her astonishment drawing forth hel
most nasal pronunciation. "Why die
| YOU meyer tell US? And he is in the
| Brigade too"
| stNo, he is not he is in the Guards
but lost his clothes and borrowed my
.'But does Marguerite know She
takes him for you,. / really do. believe
for that gentleman met us at the dool
and she laughed and said, Punctual,
" And what did he say?" l asked, be
ginning to smell rat
"Oh, something smart about such al
inducement, you know, and then Mar
guerite thanked him for her flowers
and. oh ! what deceiver he must be