The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-06-13
CHAPTER III.


surprise, Miss Patterson came into the school
room before the children had assembled.
Miss Dunlop" size said, stiff1y, II should
like to know where =, u say you met MIR. Gran
GER"
"At Porlock His uncle lived next door to
my mother. He is very old friend indeed -
"Thank you. I merely wished to inquire,
because, of course, you must be aware that II
is not usual for any one in your position to
make herself remarkable By having long conf
dental talks with any gentlemen who may visit
the house."
81 don't know what you mean, Miss Patter-
son?" Maggie said, Indignantly.
But Miss Patterson had swept out OF the room
!rithout dcigning to reply. .,,
Then Maggie went into her own little room,
the one place she had in the world entirely to
herself, and cried till her eyes were red and her
head ached.
The lessons did not progress that morning.
Maggie was thinking of Alc, who was no doubt
strolling about the common, listening TO the
band and making love to the heiress. The chill
dren we're more than usually stupid, too, and
all the world seemed upside down, and all it's
ways turned crooked. Suddenly at about
twelve o'clock, just when Maggie was in the
middle of eXpuunding as best she could the &C.
centricities OF the French grammar, there was
a knock at the school-room door.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened, aud there stood before her
astonished eyes the form Of Alic Granger, and
behind him was man-evidently his servant
with box on his shoulders.
"All right, Tim, put it down; that's right !;
now be of. There. I've brought the ,!, cnrlosltles
round. Maggie l thought you'd like to see
them"
"Oh what will Mrs. Marshall and Miss Pat
{erson saw" said Maggie, in CONSERVATION.
Nothing to you for the next half hour or
so, for have just seen them safely on their
way to Woolwch and thought 1 should just
get a quiet chat with you. NY dcars, he said.
turning to Maggies wide-eycd, open-mouthed
pupils, :" I'm sure you'd like to be let OH your
lessons, so I'll let you of for half an hour run
along. my little dcars," and he open?d the door
for them, and shut it after them.
ooh, Alic !" she said, in fear and trembling.
..Oh. Maggie" he answered, mlmickl"g.
"What did you mean by going away from Por-
lock, and not leaving any address"
u couldn't help it. and you never wrote,
she answered, helplessly.
.'No, never write letters don't know how
to spell w,ll enough. But l have been hunting
for you all over the place, and never dreamed
of finding you here. Now vel unpack the box:
I had it opened before l came, so it's only FAST
cned by lock-
IL, IL
"Never mind. it doesn't matter, because II
YOU are good III take you away next week:
Besides, they'll forgive ME anything. | saved
the coloncl's life when he was in Hong Kong
Mt least, so he says. There, now, what do you
think of these for fighting with? Got them at
Java on purpose for you )" and he held up
pair of heathenish looking clubs and brandisll-
cd them over her head, and then proceeded to
pull ont the rest OF the contents OF the box and
10 decorate the school-room with them.
There's Mr.. Buddha, and thcre's-why,
what's the matter, Magge?"
"Nothinc: ONLY YOU will get me into dread
full troublc-you will, indeed. Miss Patterson
came in this morning and scolded me for talk
ing to you last night
Never mind, she was only jealous" he
laughed. "Now tell me how soon you can
leave here"
"What for?" she asked, innocently.
"Whv you haven't forgotten that We agreed
10 get married when came back, have you,
you little coQuctte?" and nc put his arm round
i.er waist Just as of old, and was not reproved.
It was so very comfortable, she thought
.No, but you are engaged, are you not!'
eyes. of course am to YOU
"Oh but, Alic -
"Oh! but Maggie And then he stopped
and kissed her, and nothing more could be
said, for the door opened, and there stood the
colonel, and there stood Mrs Marshall, and
there stood Maria Patterson.
''Miss Dunlop.' screamed Maria, horror
struck.
"Mr. Granger" said Mrs. Marshall in aston
ishment.
"Hoity- -" exclaimed the colonel. "What
does all this mean 2"
"She must leave the house at once, " sal the
heress.
"Of con: SO she must" Mrs. Marshall said.
II never heard of such thing in my life -
"Mv dear Mrs. Marshall, said Alic looking
~ if he were beginning speech, !" it il all my
fault You told me, anu so did the colonel, to
consider your house my home, and l have done
so. Miss Dunlop here was playfellow of mine
once, and when I went away we we're engaged,
but somehow we lost sight Of each other when
there were 4 few thousand miles between us,
and it was the happiest moment OF my life to
meet her again last night and so l took the
liberty of calling on her this morning, and we
were Just arranging to get married next week
when you interrupted u.s.
"Qiite right, quite right, my dear Granger"
said the old colonel, heartily, 'you shall be
married from here -
"Oh please let me so to mamma-do let me
so at once. pleaded Maggie, finding her little
tongue at last.
II think it would be much more satisfactory
if Miss Dunlop went back to her relations, said
the heircss, sourly.
SO they all finally agreed, and that very after
noon Maggie packed up her modest belongings
and all the curiositics, and went to the well-on
and bad-tempcrcd aunt.
The bad-tempcred aunt received her niece
very grsciously when she found she was
going to marry well the following week. 1t
is amazing how fond people are of rich rela-
tons. even though the riches concern them
little personally. AS for poor Mrs. Dunlop, she
could have jumped for JOY, only she was too old
for such violent exercise.
'pray, miss. what are You laughing to your
self about?' asked Alic the evening before their
wedding day
Nothing. Alic, only when you were away, |
used to think sometimes hat perhaps you'd
marry Chinese hciress With pgtail."
'Thc sort of thing You would think, he
said, grandly; as it is. yo see, am going
to marry little girl without, pigtail; and
am very happy my daring-cNf. ou?"
every, very" she said; and s.le was.