Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-05-06
Lady DugdaIe's Diamonds.
COntij,uoI from, last ,reeE

Continued from last ,ceek.
/ wish l had now. The will to
do it and the opportunity never
dovetailed so neatly together after
ward.
But it is the story of the dia-
monds l was to tell, you remind
me. Patience, | am coming to
that. You have now the main
threads of it in your hand. / scrv-
ed the Honorable William Patting-
ham, who, marrying Miss Smyjthe-
johnes, promoted me to be Butler
at Johnesborough.
To Mrs. Pattingham, Lady Dug
dale--the Dowager, 1 mcan--pre-
sented her wonderful diamonds,
which Mr.. Will sent to Rundell and
Bridge to be reset. His wife
wanted to wear them on the occa-
sion of her presentation at Court
Thus the diamonds were at the
jewelers., at Johnesborough, and
Mr.. Will and his wife on their
wedding tour.
1t was very kind Of Mr.. WILL
giving me the Buffers place al
Johnesborough; but | could not
help wishing he had arranged that
] should learn my duties before 60
ing there.
When stern and stately house
keeper, who had been at Johnes
borough in the time of Smyjthc
Johnes, addressed me, l wished my
shoes were big enough to hide in
However, took heart of Grace
after awhile, and gave her my con-
fidence-told her how / had been
Mr.. Wills own man-how of good
ness he had chosen me to fill the
post of Butler; how | knew little
or nothing of what q butler was ex.
pected to do; and, to wind up all
how thankful | should be if she
would give me a few hints.
Over her spectacles the old lady
looked at me for q minute. Then
she said, "Young man, you win do;
you are modest and ingenious
(Somehow, it seemed to me | was
then always running up against
people who used long words.)
will instruct you myself. Few per-
sons, male OF female, know moro OF
the nature of a buffers duties than
l."
Which was quite true. Mrs.
Barrett deserved all the praise she
was good enough to bestow on her.
self.
BY the time Mr.. Will returned, ]
had learned enough not to disgrace
his recommendation. Indeed, Ny
Lady herself seemed surprised at
my progress, for she said to me one
day, 81 had no notion, Walters, you
had so correct an idea of the duties
of your position. Even my dear
father could not have found
fault with the manner in which you
discharge them" --, %.
This was high praise from her
Ladyship. The doings of Johnes
of Johnesborough seemed, in those
days, right in the sight of his
daughter-as right as her own do
ings do now.
No one ever can tell how n mar
riage will turn out, am sure, had
any person told me, that day in st.
Georges Church, / should some
time consider my master had done
a good thing for himself in taking
Miss Johncs for better or for worse,
l must have laughed ont in very
scorn and bitterness but the pair
had not been long back at Johnes-
borough before began to believe
she was the very wife for Mr.. Will.
If she was fussy and fidgety-I
and who could doubt her being
both MFR. Will was too much the
other way. She kept things to-
gether; she prevented his getting
into debt again; she led him into
paths of responsibility so fenced in
by ideas, and traditions, and re-
sponsibilities, and proprieties, that
! think it would have been next to
impossible for any man to break
bounds, even had he wished to do
so. But Mr.. Will did not wish.
For the first time, he had a chance
given him to do well; and he was
not above taking advantage of it. /
know he felt his wife had given him
all she had in her power to bestow,
and that it bchooved him to try to
make some return. When he mar
ried her there was not morscl Of
love on his side but 1t grew. Day
by day, month by month, year 10y
year, It went on putting out buds
and shoots; and now / doubt If