Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1873-04-24

81 think I can guess what was her
occupation," said Lady Stalkingham,
!, severely. "Your piece of perfection
kepta bottle Of spirits in her bedroom" "
''Lor' bless you, my lady, nothing of
the kind; my Emily hated the very
smell of them.''
"No, no; it was Dress said the rec
tors wife, "not drink. Your perfect
treasure was doing her beautiful hair
and arranging her spotless cuffs and
collar against the time when her 'Mr.
Right should come"
"Both wrong" answered Miss Flut-
ter, curtly, little put out, [ think, by
, these commonplace calculations of a
: mystery which had baf1ed her for so
many months; syou would never guess
} it if you guessed from now till dooms-
day. The girl was under my own roof,
} remember-under my own eye-and
all the household were equally curious
to get at her secret. Drink and dress,
of course, occurred to us, but each of
. those would have had results; she was
as grave and sober after her hours re-
tirement as before, and there was not
the slightest alteration in her attire.
For my part, [ began to think that the
poor girl was poetess, or something
else Of that sort; but when taxed her
with writing verses she only replied,
/ with her quiet smile, Indeed, mama,
: wish I could, which, although not a
sensible rejoinder, was so Far satisfac-
tory that is showed she didn't"
/ "Well, ladies, I don't mind owning
: to you, since we are all of the same sex
? here, that my excessive curiosity at last
got the better of my feelings as gen.
| tlewoman. I was resolved at all haz-
d yards to get to the bottom of this mys-
2 "You looked through the key-hole.
of course" exclaimed Lady Stalking
$ ham, greatly excited.
81 tried to look through the key
= hole, your ladyship, but she had stop.
| ped it up. | listened outside the door
and heard voices talking"
"Ah, that was it, was it?" said the
!. rector's wife. "Well, to tell you the
i truth, I suspected it from the first ,
! "But it was nothing of the kind, ma,
: ldam,' continued Miss Elutter, dryly
e Seton was ss!sie of an i'm.
s propriety, and both the voices were hel
/ own. Unhappily from the same cause
f that prevented my seeing what she
r was at, I was unable to catch what she
e said, and my curiosity was whetted te
! such pitch that [ determined upon {
= course Of action which I blush to re-
: late. There was cupboard i'll the
v ROOM"
E "And you hid there!w calculated
f the rector's wife. "Well, it is was very
: natural"
0 "It was absolutely necessary, madam
r if [ had not done so I should have had
/. brain fever. Yes; [ went softly NJ
D stairs to the attics at two-forty-fve anC
s hid myself in Emily's cupboard, anc
= at three o'clock she came into her room
as usual and locked the door.
: sBut that time I was thoroughly
e ashamed of myself. If she had open
: ed the cupboard she might, [ am sure
= have knocked me down with a feather
t and [ felt that [ deserved to be knock.
! ed down with something much harder
/ But still, since [ a0as there, it was nc
r use to shut my eyes; and [ stared
e through a crack in the panel at the
l proceedings I am about to relate as
= hard as | could stare.
e ''In the first place she took down
l her bonnet and shawl, and put them
: on before the looking-glass with the
r greatest care. Then she drew on he1
/ gloves, and took up parasol and q
e little church service [ had given her.
l and began to walk slowly round the
s room. Of course [ then thought she
} was mad-some sort of religious fana-
< tic, that always prayed with a bonnet
= and shawl on-and you may conceive
my terror when she knocked at the
: cupboard door with parasol, and inquir-
l ed whether I was at home there. Yes:
: she asked, just as a lady asks Of foot
) man, is Miss Flutter at home ?" and
| | felt my heart in my mouth and my
Y brains nowhere as she did so. Tc
! my intense relief, however, she did not
= open the door, but sat down just out
e side Gmagine my feelings y and began
: to carry on conversation with me-
t only she did it all herself-in the fol-
: lowing fashion:
= "'What lovely weather we have been
I having lately, Miss Flutterv
4 "'Yes, indeed; it makes me quite
= long for the country. When are you
= going out Of town.
0 'Then, after a pause, The Larkin,
| ses, (these were friends of mine) 'are
e going to Brighton, hear. Where dc
e you think Of spending the autumn !?
t "'At Torquay, if I can get reasona.
). bic lodgings. Every thing is SO very
e dear there, however. What a beauti.
/ full shawl you have! Is it Indian p
:, "'Yes; it was a present from deal
: old General Mulligatawny,' etc., etc
n cit was not until she had been go.
b ing on like this for some time that
T. perceived that she was playing like 6
y child, at morning calls, and that the
church service represented a card-case
d Presently, much to my joy, she left my