Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-06-02
CHAPTER III,

surprise, Miss Patterson came into the school
room before the children had assembled.
miss Dunlop" she said, stiff1y, 81 should
like to know where you say you met Mr.. Gran
ger"
cat Porlock His uncle lived next door to
my mother. He is very old friend indeed -
"Thank you. l merely wished to inquire,
because, of course, you must be aware that it
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."
son?' Maggie said, Indignantly.
But Miss Patterson had swept out of the room
without deigning 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 Alic, who was no doubt
strolling about the common, listening to the
band and making love to the heiress. The chill
dren were more than usually stupid, too, and
all the world seemed upside down, and all its
ways turned crooked. Suddenly, at about
twelve o'clock, just when Maggie was in the
middle of expounding as best she could the &C.
centricties of the French grammar, there was
a knock at the school-room door.
'Come in" she said.
The door opened, and there stood before her
astonished eyes the form of Alic Granger, and
behind him was man-eyidently his servant
with box on his shoulders.
"All right, Tim, put it down that's right
now be off. There, I've brought the curiosities
round, Maggie L thought you'd like to see
them"
"Oh what will Mrs. Marshall and Miss Pat
terson say?" said Maggie, in CONSERVATION.
''Nothing to you for the next half hour or
so, for have just seen them safely on their
way to Woolwich, and thought l should just
get quiet chat with you. NV dears, he said
turning to Maggie's wide-eyed, open-mouthed
pupils, I'm sure you'd like to be let off your
lessons, 50 I'll let you off for half an hour run
along, my little dears" and he opened the door
for them, and shut it after them.
"Oh, Alic!" she said, in fear and trembling.
"Oh, Maggie !" he answered, mimicling.
"What did you mean by going away from Por
lock, and not leaving any address,"
/" L couldn't help it, and you never wrote"
she answered, helplessly.
"No, / never write letters don't know how
to spell well enough. But have been hunting
for you all over the place, and never dreamed
of finding you here. Now we'll unpack the box;
1 had it opened before came, so it's only fast
ened by lock-"
"But, Alic they'll never forgive me-"
"Never mind, it doesn't NATTER because if
you are good I'll take you away next week.
Besides, they'll forgive me anything. | saved
the colonels life when he was in Hong Kong
at 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 brandish
ed them over her head, and then proceeded to
pull out the rest of the contents of the box and
TO decorate the school-rooms with them.
There's Mr.. Buddha, andI there re's-why,
what's the NATTER Maggie?"
"Nothing only you will get me into dread
full trouble-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.
Why, you haven't forgotten that we agreed
to get married when l came back, have you,
you little coquette ?" and he put his arm round
her waist Just as of old, and was not reproved.
1t was so very comfortable, she thought.
"No, but you are engaged, are you not?"
eyes, of course | amt you."
"Oh but, Alic y
"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-toity !" exclaimed the colonel. 'what
does all this mean ?"
" She must leave the house at once" said the
heIress.
"Of comse she must" Mrs. Marshall said.
81 never heard of such thing in my life -
My dear Mrs. Marshall" said Alc, looking
as If he were beginning speech, sit is all my
| fault. You told me, ami 50 did the colonel, to
| consider your house my home, and have done
50. Miss Dunlop here was playfellow of mine
once, and when went away we were engaged,
| but somehow we lost sight of each other when
there were few thousand miles between us,
and it was the happiest moment of my life to
meet her again last night and SO | took the
liberty of calling on her this morning, and we
were just arranging to get married next week
when you interrupted u.s."
"Qnite right, quite right, my dear Granger" 4"
said the old colonel, heartily, "you shall be
married from here y
"Oh please let me go omamma-do let me
go at once, pleaded Maggie, finding her little
tongue at last.
~ think it would be much more satisfactory
| if Miss Dunlop went back to her relations" said
the heiress, sourly.
So they all finally agreed, and that very after
noon Maggie packed up her modest belongings
and all the curiosities, and went to the well-off
and bad-tempered aunt.
The bad-tempered aunt received her niece
very graciously when she found she was
going to marry well the following week. 1t
is amazing how fond people are of rich rela-
tions, 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.
g 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 that perhaps you'd
marry Chinese heiress with pigtailh
The sort Of thing you would think, he