Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-06-22
THE BOX TUNNEL.
BY CHARLES READE.

had smooth, white. delicate brow strongly
marked eyebrows, long laSheS, eyes that seemed
mouth, with teeth as white as milk A man
could not see her nose n her eyes and mouth:
some nonsense about IL. She wore an uupre-
tending grayiSh dress buttonsd to the throat
with lozenges shaped buttons and Scottish
shawl that agreeably evaded color. She was
like dnck, so tight her pl iin feathers fitted
her, and there she sat, smooth, snug and de-
lfcious, with book in her hand, and soupcop
OF her wrist just visible as she held IT, Her op-
pOsite neighbor was what call good style Of
man,-the more to his credit since he belonged
10 corporation that frequently turns out the
a cavalry officer, aged twenty 1--we. He had
mustache, but not very repulsive one; not
one OF those subnasal pigtails on which soup
thlck, and black as coal His teeth had not
Yet been turned by tobacco smoke TO the color
OF Juice his clothes did not stick to nor hang
10 him he had an engaging smile. and what
liked the dog for. his vanity, which was inord
mate, was in its proper place, his heart not i'm
ms lace, Jostling mine and other peoples who
hear> OF than meetS,-ay ouag gen leman He
was conVersing in an animated whisper with
companion, a fellow officer; they were talk
ing about what it is far better not tO-women
Dur friend clearly did not wish to be over
hea d for he cast ever and anon futtive
glance at his fair utS-d-rtS and lowered his
voice. She seemed compile ely absorbed in her
book, and that treasured him. AT last the two
NoiderS came down TO a whisper (the trutl
must be told, the one who 60 do Sn at SIou III
and was lost to pOSterity, bet ten pounds TO
,hree that he who was going down With us to
Rath and immortality would not kiss either of
he ladies opposite upon the road. "Done,
done! Now am sorry man have hitherto
praised should have lent himself even In a
Whisper, 10 Sucn speculation; but nobody is
wise at all hours" not even when the clock is
striking hye and twenty; and you are Ia con
slider his profession, his good looks, and the
temptatiOn-ten to three.
After Slough the party was reduce to three:
"t IWyliord one Lady dropped her handker-
chief; Captain Do!ignan fell on il like a Lamb:
two or three words were interchanged on this
occasion. AT Reading the Marlborough of our
tale made one OF the safe inveStmen of that
day, he bought Times and Punch; the Utter
1ull OF steel pen thruStS and woodcutS. Ealpr
and beauty deigned to laugh at some inflimei
humbug or other punctured by Punch. Now
.aughlng together thawS our human ice-at
SWlndon 1t Was talking match-at Syindon
who SO devoted as Captain Dolignan?-he
landed them out-he soaped them-ae tough
chlckened them-he branded and cocbinedfed
ne, and he branded and burnt-sugared the
tier; on their return to the carriage, one lldy
laSSed into the inner compartment To inspect
d certain gentlemanS seat on that side OF the
line.
Reader, had it been you or /, the beauty
would have been the deSerter, the average one
would have stayed with us till all was blue our
selves Included; not more surely does our
slice OF bread and butter, when it escapes from
0ul hand, revOlve ft ever so often. alight face
downward on the carpet. But this was bit
81 Top, Ad0nl>, dragOon,-SO Venus rem aimed
IN tete-dtete with him. You have seen dog
meet an unknown female of his species, )w
handsome, how empreSSe, how expressive he
becomes; such was Dolignan after Swindon,
and to do the dog justice, he got han iSJme
and handsOmer: and you have seen a cat con-
SclouS OF approaching cream,-Such was Miss
Hayth0rn: she became demurrer and demurrer;
presently our captain looked out of the win
dow and laughed: this ELECTED an inquiring
look from Miss Haythorn.
we are only mile from the Box Tunnel"
lY
Tunnel said the lady.
why, hem, it is a gentleman's joke"
:, captain Dollgnan then recOuaied to Miss
Haythorn the folowing:-.
"A lady and her husband sat together going
through the Box Tunnel,-there WAS one gentle
man opposite it was pitch dark latter the tun-
mel the lady said, George, how absurd of You to
10 u such hit thng ' You ddn f sunn no. wbV
Because somehow l thought you did,"
Here Captain DOlignan llughed aud endeav-
"red to lead his companion to laugh, but it was
Mss Haythorn. All!
Dotignan. What is the matter?
Mss Haythorn: am frightened,
DOljgnd7 (mOving to her sde). Pray do not
be alarmed; | am near you.
Mss Haythorn. You are near me,-very
near me, indeed, Captain Dolignan.
DOtfgndn. You know my name?
Mss HdythOrn. l heard you mention it. L
wish we were out of This dark place.
DOtigndn. | could be content to spend hours
:,ere, reaSSuring you. my dear lady,
Mss HdythorR. Nonsense!
DOtigndn. Pweep! Grave reader, do not
ut your lips to the next pretty creature you
Miss HdythOr1a. E.! Ee!
Friend. What is the matter?
Mss HdpthOrn. Open the door! Open the
DOR,
There was sound of hurried whispers. the
door was shut and the blind pulled down with
hostile sharpness.
If any cri ic falls on me for putting iuarticu-
Late sounds in dialogue as above, answer
18th all the lnsolence can command ar pres
mt; Hit boys as big as yourself; bigger,
perhaps, such as Sophocles, Euripides, and
AriStophaneS; they began il, and learned it
of them, sore against my VIII.
Miss HaythornS scream lost most of its effect
because the engine whistled forty thousand
grief makes itself heard when real cannot
Between the tunnel and Bath our young
friend had time to ask himself whether his
conduct had been marked by that delicate re-
serve which is supposed to distinguish the
perfect gentleman.
With a long face, real or feigned, he held
ecape on the other side,-imposSble! they
must pass him. She whom he had insulUed
tLatln for kissed) deposited somewhere at his
feet look Of gentle, bluShing reproach: the
other, whom he had not insulted. darted red
hot daggers at him from her eyes; and SO they
parted.
1t was, perhaps, fortunate for Dolignaa that
kynS of his regiment, veteran laughed at by
the youngsters, for the Major was too apt to
look cOldly upon billiard balls and cigars: he
had seen cannon balls and linStockS. He had
also, to tell the truth, swallowed a good bit of
Inc mess room poker, which made it as impoS-
sible for Major HoSkynS to descend TO an un
gentlemanlike work or action as to brush his
own trousers below the knee.
Captain Dolignan told this gentleman his
story in gleeful accents but Major HJSkynS
heard him coldly, and as cOdly answered that
be had known a man to lose his life for the
same thing.
THAT is nothing" continued the Nj ijor,
but unfortunately he deserved to lose it."
AT this, blood mounted to the younger mans
temples; and his senior added, Il mean to say
he was thirty five; you, 1 presume, are TWEEN
ty-oner'
TWENTY-FIVE"
advised by me?''
IF you will advise me-"
speak to no one of this, and send White the
Is, that he may think you have lost the bet"
That II is hard, when won nn
"DO it, for all hat, sir.
Let the disbelieverS in human perfectibility
know that this dragon capable of blush did
this yirtuOuS action, albeit with violent reluc-
lance and this was his first damper A week
after these events he was at bah. He was iu
that state of Fictitious discomfort which be-
longs to us amiable English. He was looking
In vain for lady eOual in personal attractjn1