The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-03-16

aer heart. 1t was an essentially low
able character when you came
to know it, though some peo-
pie were at first repel]ed by
a touch Of hauteur which was per-
ceptib'e in her manners. I have put
her mental characteristics first, you
see, and not described my heroine
personally yet; for, after all, it is
the mind that euea,s best. I do not
mean to say that, all things being
equal, a woman with fair share of
good looks is not more attractive
than one to whom Providence has
denied the dangerous gift of beauty;
but the fairest eyes in the world soon
cease to charm if they are like the win.
dows which open into an empty room.
A man who marries fer beauty alone
will one day wish he had picked out
the plainest girl Of his acquaintance
rather than the doll for whom
child has to do-he has to manu,ac.
ture ideas and conversation. Not
that Adeline 'larsden lacked person.
al beauty. She had an oval face,
with masses Of dark hair. growing
low on her brow; gray eyes with
long lashes-sweet and honest eyes
they were, nose little bit "tip-
tilted.' to use Mr.. Tennyson's de-
lightful euphenism and mouth too
large for ideal beauty. but exquisite
ly shaped. She was tall, with per-
feet figure, and her hand and arm
would have inspired a sculptor. For
the rest, she had been thoroughly
we'll educated, both in England and
on the Continent, and it must be
| said that she had picked up some of
the new ideas on woman's rights, and
rather resented the fact that the heir
ess of Gaveston Court, cultivated
woman as she was, and quite as we'll
able to judge Of political questions as
the small shopkeepers and pumpkins
around her; should not be able to
record her vote at an election. /
don't think she was far wrong myself;
but this is dangerous question and
may be shelved at once. Suffice it to
say that on great occasion in her af.
ter life, when certain gentleman
stood for the county, she proved
herself a more efficient canvasser
than all the paid agents put togeth-
or.
Such was AdeIiEe Marsden; and
we may conclude, therefore, that Sir
Philip Gaveston spoke very fool;shly
and hastily when he hedecIined to make
the acquaintance Of such young
lady, and even meditate,i leaving
5eaburn altogether because she, the
heiress Of the hated Marsdens, had
come to live at Gaveston Court. We
shall see that his views underwent
some notifications afterwards but
in the meantime, as far as Seaburn
was concerned. there seemed to be two
antagonistic iorcee at work iu such
society as the place possessed, and
| gradually people formed themselves,
as it were, into two camps-one rang
| ed under the ancient and honorable
banner Of the Gavestons, and the
other under the newer flag of Adeline
Marsden, which, had it existed in re-
.lity, could not have been said to
hear any armorial device at ali
worthy to to be compared with the
, arms Of Gaveston. How this came
about no one exactly knew. Such
social divisions are of slow growth.
and the lines of demarcation are con-
stantly altering. People oscillate be-
tween one set and another, and are not
always to be counted on one side.
Various influences are at work, and
a stanch ally may be converted into
an equally active enemy bv mere
slip Of the tongue or an invitation of
some kind or other being withheld
I when it was expected. Seaburn, as
, | have SAID, had grown enormously,
. and, though at this late period of the
year, most Of the nomadic visitors
had departed, there was a large set
tied population-professional people
retired merchants, and the like, in
addition to the sc-called County
families" who most Of them lived
at some distance from the place. A
vast number Of villas had sprung up
!: outside the town stretching along the
, high coast line, and these were mostly
occupied by residents, many of whom
went and came night and morning
! between Seaburn and large manu-.
t featuring town some twenty five miles
. from it.
y The country families and older res
idents, what might be called the eccle
siastical party in the place, and mos
Of the professional class, had ranged
themselves on Sir Philip Gaveston's
}, side; while the residuum-I use tn
word in no offensive sense-held tina
u Miss Marsdcn, of Gaveston Court
was as good as any Gaveston tina
e ever stepped, and it was perfectly ab
r. surd to have feud century old re
!; vived to set people by the ears mere
It ly because Sir Philip Gaveston brood
y ed like Corsican over an ancient
g wrong, and had vendetta fit on hin
d which was at once (said the opposi
t, tion) absurd and unchristian. The
o aristocracy Of the place, if that is