Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-18

Lancaster, who divided his time pretty
equally between his plate and a fair, red
haired girl in violet gown, whose picture
he once painted Lord Southwell told me, as
The Blessed Damozel, and in so doing had
fallen in love with her, and was now signing
to make her his wife, in order, as he told
Jack, to always have the charm of perfect
coloring before his eyes.
Did he imagine, | wondered, that she
would walk through life always arrayed in
a purple gown?
After the soup and fish, my lord made the
remark,
al think you are stranger here Miss
Berne ?"
"Yes-an American"
"Indeed r' with look of astonishment,
"but you have often been in London, should
fancy
" | came in to-day, for the first time, OH
the box seat of the Virginia Water coach,
answered demurely.
" Impossible, Miss Berne. Why, then, by
Jove, must have driven you"
Z" think you did, said |, and don't you
remember Jack there giving you tip, and
my laughing out loud when he did 1t
was at the thought of what our men would
say to such thing in America
Now | who am telling this bit out of life
must bid you here remember that it all oc-
curreu oelore the advent OF Mr. Name with
MS teiha'h COACH
vi course i remember now, he said,
your eyes ought 10 nave told me before.
puV oheh' YOU KNOW, VINO ever thought oil
meeting you mere
After that we got on splendidly, and by
the end of dinner felt quite at horne with
Lord Southwell, and had in my mind sew
erai pietSure 'fips ne had proposed ior my
oeheh.' we all leit the taole together, and
'ioated IN en- maSse TO the brilliantly lighted
urawlugIooihs' lhese oegan 10 NIL rapidly
WIN Mrs' Lancaster $ expected guests, and
soon iouhd myself alone at one end OF the
room, separated from the music parlor only
by hail-drawh Porf'eres' Some one within
there was touching the piano softly, few
low cnords, ana tnen over the quickly hushed
crowd IN man rich baritone, rang the
words OF Lleoes " Aut Wledersehn' Syl-
vle' VIII never never forget that song 1t
sounded IN my ears all night long. Auf
"iedersehh' Aui "ledersehn, kept re-
peatihg over ana over
Inc last words were sung, and the hum oil
conversation recommended, and closed over
the music drowning II IN many hearts, but
not III inlhe' III never could be wiped out OF
my nemory-no, never
voice, Lord SouthwelPs, half hesitating,
nan apologetical, brought me back to the
TACT that was IN London, at an everyday
reunion, and that 1t behooved me to act ike
the ordinary nineteenth century young wo-
man, not like a music-struck maiden.
Miss Berne," the voice was saying, may
present my friend Bertram Fitzgerald Z"
raised my eyes, aud beheld the very
handsomest man have ever seen in my life.
Sylvie, to my shame be II said, fell IN
love with him on the spot. lie was tall and
stralghtlimbed, with the head and throat OF
an Apollo; crisp rings OF sunny brown hair
covered his head and his eyes were the
palest brown, growing yellow toward the
pupil firm, straight mouth, with only the
Shadowlng OF pale brown mustache, and
coloring warm and soft as an Italians.
This, knew at once, was the man who
had already half sung my heart away and
now the other half was won by his beauty.
looked at him very quietly. You have
been singing Auf Wiedersehn ! let me
thank you.' put out my hand he took 1t
as gravely as | gave it.
After that evening he was with us all the
time. We were very gay. We went every
where-to garden parties, to flower shows,
to dinners, to the opera, to the theatre, 70
Richmond, to Bushy Park, Windsor-eveN
where where pleasure could be found, lnd at
all places he was at my side. or course
learned all about him. He was roundabout
cousin to Lord Southwell, an orphan, half
French, half Irish, very poor and very proud.
He had been educated abroad as surgeon,
taken some degrees, and was already well
spoken of in the surgical and medical world
in London.
Six weeks passed in this way, and you
know in six weeks one can learn great deal
| learned that the world held but one man
tor me, and that one was Bertram Fitzgerald
One morning Lord Southwell came in, aud
proposed long day at his little box in this
country, on the banks of the Thames.
We were to drive down there on his drag
lunch, row to Richmond, dine there, and then
drive up to town by moonlight. OF course
we all wanted to go--all but Jack, who made
some excuse, so we left without him.
1t was very perfect day. We drove
through sweetest country roads, with bits of
river shimmering between the trees, to Shep-
perton, aud there we found the dearest cot
tage home, half smothered in roses without,
and stepped in luxury within. After lun-
cheon we strayed about as each best liked
Naturally enough, 1t was Fitzgerald and
that found ourselves at the bottom OF the
old fruit garden, rich in all manner OF cherry,
apple and peach trees.
Let us SIT down here, | said, "just under
this tree. We have such pretty picture
either way-behind us, Lord Southwell's
ideal cot; before us the slowly rippling
water of your quiet river"
So we did; and so well had we come to
know each other that it was nothing strange
our sitting without words of any kind pass
ing between us
The little boats sped by us on the river,