The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-22
MISS MONKTON'S MAR.
RIAGE.
BY THE AUTHOR OF "a FRENCH HEIREss
IN HER OWN CHATEAU"
CHAPTER III -(CoNTINUED.)

~ yes, indeed. 90 love Dall.
"You will give me the honor Of the
first dancer
Certainly, with pleasure"
'Pd have gone thousand miles, of
course, with this at the end of it; but on
the whole l believe have no passion
for balls. 1t it a moral defect, know;
you need not tell me SO. I am very
much ashamed" ....
"Ah," said Letitia, 'but you have been
to SO many, no doubt. This is only the
fourth in my life"
81 wish it was only the fourth in
mine, or the first, for that matter" said
Captain Crosby. "There was one other,
though, that interested me, in different
way. The Duchess of Richmond's ball
at Brussels, the night before Quatre
Bras"
"And you we're there~
The deep enthusiastic interest in Lett
tia's eyes, as she lifted them to his face,
would have been too much for any SOL
dier. Il
eyes. 1t has been described to you
often, no doubt, by Sir George and every
bod dy else"
people have told me about it, but I
should like to hear again. How splendid
and how awful it must have been, the
distant can on breaking in upon the
music" said Letitia, in low voice.
eyes; even to those who expected it,
as many of us did. I remember poor
Smith-my predecessor, you know. He
told me, before we went to the ball, Of
his engagement to girl we all admired
prodigiously. There he was, of course,
dancing with her, she looking more beau
tiful, more happy than any one in the
room, and he such fine, manly fellow.
] caught sight of her at midnight, when
they had just parted; it was indeed a
change; she never saw him again, you
know. Forgive me; l have no right to
sadden you like this. For Heavens sake,
smile! Such things must happen in time
of war, and if man dies death that
his friends need not be ashamed of, why,
then How could l be such fool"
Leuitia had hung down her head, her
cheeks had lost all the pretty color, and
her eyes had filled with tears. They
were slowly crossing the wide hall, ON
their way to the drawing-room, where
their party had Just been announced.
Captain Crosby bent towards his COM
panion with a smile of tender interest
and admiration, and slightly pressed the
hand that lay on his arm. At the mo-
ment Letitia could not speak, but she re-
covered herself almost directly.
Near. the drawing-room door several
servants were standing. Captain Crosby
stared so hard at one of them, that the
man bowed. He frowned, and returned
the salute slightly. Then he and Letitia
following Sir George and Mrs. Bushe
found themselves being received by Mrs
Barrett in the drawing-room.
She was short, plain, sensible looking
woman, and seemed the brightest Of the
family, though her manner was proyok
ingly downright, and devoid of any kline
of "nonsense." Her two daughters wer'
two large, fair girls, who looked meel
and suppressed, as if all the nonsense hat
been crushed out or them from child
hood. Her husband was tall, square, ant
heavy, and had not much to say. He
only son, the Humphrey of Letitia'
aversion was tall fellow too, very lik
his father, but with more life and quick
ness in his eyes, truly English haughti
ness of manner, with something of tn
bully in it towards people he chose II
consider beneath him. He wore his scar
let hunting-coat, and looked well enough
but could not get rid of countrifie'
air, which was very evident in contras
with Captain Crosby's elegance.
Nearly everybody in the county wa
assembled in the Castle drawing-roon
that evening. Music was just beginnin
to strike up in the adjoining ballroom
Great fires were blazing; Christina
wreathes hung about in all directions
The peace with France had raised every
body's spirits, and it seemed quite righ
to welcome in the new year with musi
and dancing. -
Humphrey Barrett walked up to Mis-
Monkton, as she sat by Mrs. Bushe, 81
George having taken Crosby away to il
troduce him to some of the gentlemen
and asked her for the first dance with
confident air; he evidently thought
nothing but his right. a
"ThaDk you," said Letitia; "but
have promised it to Captain Crosby"
"That's too bad" said Humphrey, tr,
ing to hide his disgust under jok'
"You should not have let a strange
forestall your neighbors"
Letitia raised her eyebrows and smile
slightly, but gave no answer to this il
hammered speech. Humphrey saw ths
he had made bad beginning. He aske
for the next dance, which she VI
obliged to promise him, and then stoe
by her, talking rather tiresomely abo1
the weather until Captain Crosby can
to carry his partner away.
The ball went Aon like other bal
Letitia danced several times with Crosb
and several times with Humphrey Ba
rett. and once or twice with other ge
tlemen. She Was the beauty Of b
evening, and many people would ha
been only too glad to have danced wi
her, if they had seen any chance
themselves. Perhaps some of the hun
hler ones were dissuaded bv the ec0wls