The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-07-12
A RuTLER,N nAnGHTER

uOWHj MFb, DOnCu5ue bAlu 10 ner nus
band: "Why have you not told me OF
the wedding tomorrow? Or don't you
know anything about .it3"
"Wedding said Mr.. Doncastle. "Lord
Monntclere Is to be married to Mrs.
Petherwin quite privately"
"Good God p said some person., Mr..
Doncastle did not speak the words; they
were notspoken by Neigh; they seemed 10
float over the room and round the walls,
rs II originating in some spiritualistic
source. Yet Mrs. Doncastle, remember
ing the symptoms ot attachment between
Ethelberta and her nephew which had ap-
peared during the summer, looked toward
Neigh instantly as II she thought the
words must have come from him after all;
but Neigh's face was perfectly calm. He,
together with her husband, was sitting
with his eyes fixed In the direction Of the
sideboard, and, turning to the same spot,
she beheld Chickerel standing pale as
death, his lips being parted as II he did
not know where he was.
"Did you speak ?" said Mrs. Doncastle,
looking with astonishment at the butler.
"Chickerel, what's the matter-are you
i'll p said Mr.. Doncastle, simultaneously.
"Was it you who said thatp
II did, sir" said Chickerel, in husky
voice, scarcely above a whisper. III
could not help it."
"Whyr
Hshe Is my daughter, and ii shall be
known at once p
UIVho Il xnur Jourhtar 9U
He paused few moments nervously.
"Mrs. Petherwin," he said.
Uponthis announcement, Neigh looked
at poor C6ickerel as II he saw through
him into the wall. Mrs. Domestic ut
tered faint exclamation and leant back
in her chair; the bare possibility OF the
truth OF Chickerel's claims to such pa.
ternity shook her 10 pieces when she
viewed her intimacies with Ethelberta
during the past season-the conrt she had
paid her, the arrangements she had en-.
tered into to please her; above all the
dinner.party which she had contrived
and carried out solely to crafty Lord
Mountclere and bring him into personal
communication with the general fayorite,
thus making herself, probably, the chief
though unconscious instrument in pro-
noting a match by which her butler was
to become father.in-law to peer she de-
lighted to honor. The crowd Of percep-
tions almost took away her life; she closed
her eyes in white shiyer.
'"Do you mean to say that the lady who
sat here at dinner at the same time thst
Lord Mountclere was present is your
daughterp
"Ses, SIR" said Chickerel respectfully.
"How did she come to be your daught-
err
Dwell. she is my daughter, sir"
"Did you educate herr"
"Not altogether, sir. She was very
clever child. Lady Petherwin took deal
Of trouble about her education. They
were both left widows about the same
time; the son died, then the father. My
daughter was only II then. But though
she Is older now, her marriage with Lord
Mountclere means misery. He ought to
marry another woman"
at is very extraordinary" Mr.. Don.
castle murmured. II you are i'll you had
better go and rest yourself Chickerel.
Send in Thomas"
Chickerel, who seemed to be much dis.
turbed, then very gladly left the room,
and dinner proceeded. Butsuch was the
popularity Of the case, that though there
was in It neither murder, robbery, illness,
accident, fire, nor any other Of the tragic
and legitimate shakers OF human nerves,
two OF the three men who were gathered
there sat through the meal without the
least consciousness OF what viands
had composed II. Impressiyeness depends
as much upon propinquity as upon mag
nitude; snd 10 have honored unawares
the daughter Of the vilest antipodean
miscreant and murderer weuld have been
less discomfiting TO Mrs. Doncastle than
it was to to make. the same blunder with
the daughter Of respectable servant who
happened TO live in her own house. To
Neigh the announcement was as the
catastrophe Of story already begun,
rather.than as an isolated wonder. Ethel
berta's words had prepared him for some
thing, though the nature Of that thing
was unknown.
"Chickerel ought not to have kept us
in ignorance Of this-of course he ought
notp said Mrs. Doncastle, as soon as
they were left alone.
II don't see why not" replied Mr.. Dom
castle, who took the matter very coolly,
as was his custom.
"Then she herself should have let itbe
known"
'tNor does that follow. You didn't tell
Mrs. Petherwin that your grandfather
narrowly escaped hanging for shooting
his rival In duel"
"0f course not. There was no reason
why ! should give extraneous informa-
ton"
aNor was there any reason why she
should. As for Chickerel, he doubtless
felt how unbecoming itwould be to make
personal remarks upon one Of your
guests-ha-ha-hal Well, well-ha-ha-
ha-hap
~ know this," said Mrs. Domestic in
great anger, "that II my father had been
In the room, 1 should not have let the fact
pass unnoticed, and treated him like a
straugerT n
WOulu you nave Hhu ner lntTOuuce
Chickerel TO US all afound7 Ny dear
Margaret, it was complicated position
for a woman
"Then she ought not to have come"
"There may be something in that,
though she was dining out at othsrhouses
rs good as ours. Well, should Have done
Just rs she did, for the joke OF the thing.
Ha halt Is very good-yery: Il was
case in which the appetite for jest
would overpoWer the sting Of conscience
in any well.constituted being-that, my
dear, / must maintain"
al say she should not have comeg an.
swered Mrs. Doncastle firmly. "0fc
! shall dismiss Chickerelp
aof course you will do no such thing.
/ have never had butler in the house
before who suited me so we'll. Il Is =
great credit to the man TO have such
daughter, and / am not sure that we do
not derive some luster Of humble kind
from his presence in the house. But,
seriously, / wonder at your lhort.sighted.
ness, when you know the troubles We
have had through getting new men from
nobody knows WheFe.n