The Portland daily press., 1879-10-27
THE PRESS.
London societyl
A Romance Of the Prince Of
Wales's Garden-Party.
GCoNTINUED.E

CoNTINUED.
And with this parting statement, which
might, indeed, have been considered a slap
in the face of Mrs. Rector, Miss lie Deene
shook hands with her spiritual adviser, and
walked solitary up Tie hillside and over the
cliffs.
A TALL angular woman, who followed no
fashion and adopted no party. Who, living
in Southbay, condemned Southbay. Who,
born in Southbay, was not quite OF South
bay. Who had brought ways and thoughts
into Southbay that Southbay deemed were
foreign to its nature; and yet who, for
all her travelling and reading and
mixing with society, was as true and
typical Southbaian as any who had lived in
the place from birth to burial.
The daughter of bishop, the grand
daughter of a judge-the judge born in
Southbay, the bishop born in SOuthbay too
(the little place had sent out many noted
man)-she returned after a long time, to
cast in her lot with he descendants of her
progenitors, and elected to do several things
which the Southbaans viewed with suspi-
cion.
Unto herself she was rule, and unto her
she permitted no man or woman to die
tate.
She had tried various places of residence
and various WAYS of life: but after all-after
came back to Southbay, as people whose po-
sition elsewhere was most uncertain, had
habit of doing.
In Southbay she was to certain extent a
power. Southbay said, miss lie Deene had
her notions about things" or her especial
whims"; but Southbay did not controyert
her notions or contradict her whims. No;
not even when she visited the Arkley, who
had not responded to the patronage of
Southbay.
That genial town only remarked, miss
lie Deene perhaps is right; at all events she
can do what we cannot"
Therefore Southbay, when once it found
Mrs. Arkley from home was content to
leave her so, while Mrs Arkley seemed
more han content to be left.
But Miss LIE Deene wss not content so to
be left. She had taken a fancy to Mrs. Ark
ley. Whether her husband were king or
kaiser, whether she had sprung from the
people, or were a scion of some ancient
stock, signfied not pin to the bishops
daughter That lady understood at first
sight the wife of the new agent was gem
tlewoman, and the loveliest woman she had
ever beheld.
She was not handsome, or beautiful or
pretty. No sculptor would have craved to
chisel her features. No artist would en-
treat to portray perfect face
She had no beauty of the devil wherewith
to craze the pen of a certain order of mod
ern novelists; but she was loyely-simply,
wholly, entirely
When you looked at her you could wish
nothing more, you conld suggest nothing
less. You never paused to think whether
her features were regular, her figure OF the
best proportions; but when you saw her
smile, heard her voice, felt the warm clasp of
her hand, YOU knew it was just fair, honest,
,,,,ra Sucan Arl-1 and tbOuUht her with
Miss LIE Deene, most lovely and perfect
creature
As her visitor drew near she was standing
under great beech tree that grewiin front OF
the cottage, with her year-old baby in her
arms-a fair picture.
How tall? you ask. Well, that was one of
the questions no one who ever saw her
thought of asking; but she scarcely reached
the middle height; slight graceful creature,
hair of the warmest shade of brown,
red almost when she was little toddling
mite, but which had mellowed into the
brightest, sunniest, richest brown magma
BILE.
There was little wave in it too, such as
is to be found often in such hair, and it was
drawn back from her forehead and rippled
in soft curves about her ears and was
drawn together behind in knot.
Hers was the clear creamy skin which ac-
companies such hair, and she had tie ten
der hazel eyes, shaded by the long black
lashes sometimes wanting in that conjunc-
ton.
Sweet st eyes. innocent as child's, and
yet earnest with all woman's depth of
tenderness: eyes that could answer to an
others mood, smile back smiles, melt into
pity, weep tears of sympathy, look stead
tasty out on life; eyes man might well
love to see in the face his wife, his daugh-
ter or his mother; and if once you had be-
held shining at you with the glamour of
love or friendship, you would forget never
again till all love and all friendship were
forgotten too.
For the rest, what was there? A calm
white brow; cheeks never brilliant with
colour, save when emotion tinted or excite
ment flushed them. If you had taken the
delicate leaf of blush rose and laid it against
her cheek, the colour family mantling there
would scarcely have outvied it. Her nose
was small and straight, but belonged to no
recognized order; and her mouth was frank,
sweet, gracious.
If there was firmness about the lower
part of her face which spoke of strength her
eyes seemed to belle, it was softened down by
the tenderness other expression, shaded off by
the lovely curve of her lips, and thesweet dim
pies lying in transparent hiding for the first
smile to discover and reveal.
man who had left her teens behind her one
summer birthday some six years agone.
81 am all alone," she said, gaily coming
forward over the greensward to meet Miss
LIE Deene-''all alone, except baby and Bet
ty. Every one else is off to see the show;
baby is too young and Betty too old to CAFE
for such vanities."
sa"But you, Mrs. Arkley-I was perfectly
amazed not to meet you to-day. Without
off T + mo u opn M
young-as you certainly are not too old-to
enjoy gala-day."
Mrs. Arkley laughed as, with the gesture
of one well accustomed to such pastime, she
tossed up baby and held him high in the air.
she looking at him with merry upturned
face, he growing in the intensity OF Ills de-
light.
''Forgive me,' she said the next moment,
with deprecating smile, perceiving that
Miss LIE Deene filled to see how she had
originated any amusing idea. II could not
help laughing at your notion that l was like
ly to be attracted by .teteS and festivals.
These are for other folks-are not they, boy
darling? The fact is / have seen so many
shows that do not think l should fret if |
never saw another. One evening / came
home from a great party, and took off my
finery, glass slippers and ALL and do not
feel as if I should ever care to walk into
ldlIy tlllCc5--uiilCso lIiipOSoi-
bility came to pass"
''Were you so unhappy at that-that great
party you speak OFF" asked Miss LIE Deene.
''UnhappyI' cried Mrs. Arkley. 80, dear,
no! 1t was fairyland passed through that
day, and / found an enchanted prince there.
l suppose it is the bells-the influence of the
wedding-memory- something which makes
me talk in this light-minded way. Pray
come in-you must be so tired-and have
some tea. Betty is making it,"
''Shall 1 not have the pleasure of seeing
your husband?' asked Miss LIE Deenc, pass
ing through window opening to the ground,
and wreathed in a green frame of tangled
cematis and passion-fower and roses.
81 am afraid not" Mrs. Arkley answered;
but her tone was slower and her voice graver
now, her visitor noticed. "He must 60
down to the tenants dinner, and scarcely
think he will come back home first.''
''Ahem! Something wrong here" decided
Miss LIE Deene. "My lady's pretty tongue
does not wag so fast or so glibly when she
speaks of the real lord and master as it did
when she talked of the fairy prince. That
is why she does not care for shows, and why