The Portland daily press., 1879-10-03
THE PRESS.
[London Society,"
A. Cool Hand.

in-
of her own eyes. But / nadn't got her {
hairs breadth closer to my heart when an
other pas-Aash made her ily back as it I'd
stabbed her. and she fell and crouched into
her corner of the carriage, and looked at ne
rs if she was too terrified to scream. Good
Godp' she moaned out at last, what have
done?-wbat will become of me now? VINO
are gou? For PHYS sake stop the carriage
whoever you arel Who are You, who have
dared"
Now I'll ask any man of the world what
he's TO saw or do when the loYeiest girl on
earth first embraces him and calls him by
his own short name, and then the next min
ute asks him how he dares run off wish hen
when It's she who's running off with himf
don't think there's many man who, when
she told him to stop the carriage, would take
her at her word. I'd never had much 10 DO
with young women having been mostly Out
of the way of them; but I'd not lived to Two
and-thirty without learning some OF the Ut
lie ways that belong to the best OF them.
When woman runs OFF with Il man. II
stands 70 Nature that she'd take little
trouble TO make things seem as IL il was the
other way round. And though, thank God,
Tve pretty clear conscience about every
tbing. still | wasn't christened Joseph, but
poni-and I'm not ashamed OF that name.
So didn't try TO stop the carriage all AZ
once: but said all ] could tosoothe her and
comfort her, and to make ii an understood
thing that the eopement was all my own 90
ing. and not hers at all, and that my shoul-
ders were broad enough TO bear any trouble
that might come to her l can't repeat all
/ said, because ones talk an sucA cases IS
an TO Get broken, and because l can't exact
" recall all that l did say; but | felt an uu-
known eloquence come into me as 1 assured
her of my love at first sight, and OF the lie
long devotion / would give her as the small
est return for the sacrifice she had made Tor
me. So much did | say before | even put
out nv hand to feel for hers, that she had
no chance of getting in a word; for the I'M
pulse carried me on and didn't stop once to
think what was the meaning OF II all. and
faith, | wouldn't think much OF the man
who'd stop to cross-eHanlne the loyelleSt
Girl in the world though he doesn't know
her name even, and though her behaviour
may not seem entirely the type OF proprlety
Maybe we Connors would have been tee
richer for being unlike ourselves; but there
are times when gentlemen must chance
things a little.
Bat even a man OF the world may now and
then be wrong, and that just because he is a
man of the world.
No sooner did I touch her hand than she
dashed down the window and called TO the
driver TO stop instantly. What was / to
shink of it when the fellow needed her no
more than if he'd been deaf, and when the
more she called ''Stopr' the faster he made
the horses go-for there were two Of them?
He'd had his orders, supposed; and some
BODY must have given them to him, and it
hadn't been l. At last she sank back in
despair.
made every tone thrill through me, ''you are
at least man, though you can be no gentle
man. don't know how or why you have
taken this cruel advantage OF me suppose
You have bribed the coachman. But l tel
YOU this she said, putting her arm through
the window, that if You do rot instantly
leave me / will open the door and throw my
self out into the road. What can you want
with me, who never saw you in my life be-
fore?"
ssOn nv honour said /, Il have bribed
nobody. For Heavens sake, don't open the
door! Why should you be afraid OF man
who-who'd give his life to serve you"'
sI am not afraid she said with sort OF
quiet seorn.
don't know what else there was in the
tone, but it made me feel as if there'd been
some horrible mistake somewhere; and 1t al
so made me believe that when she talked OF
throwing herself cut she was not masking be-
lieve.
Madam said I, twill you believe me
when tell you that as for taking advantage
of woman, it isn't in me; and that until |
saw you this night I'd no more thought OF
running away with a lady than know now
how it's come to pass that I'm doing so? L
can't retract what said about being in love
with you, for it's true; and sure any man
may love any woman? Bat beyond wanting
to be introduced to you I'd no more plans
than baby; and I'd shoot myself sooner
than make you afraid. If you don't know
who ! am. nv names Thomas Connor-
brother of Miles Cregan's first wife; and |
no more expected 10 meet you at bis house
tonight than"
Pye always noticed that when mans
telling the truth people mostly believe nm
well nigh as often as when he's telling
them lies. Any way, some OF the scorn was
out of her voice when she said, though as II
her thoughts were far off,
.'EYho is Miles Cregan?7
'sMiles Cregan? Why sure you know
81 never heard OF him"
"And yet you've been al his house to-
night
7Sir, [ never heard the namei Stop the
carriage, this instantr' she said, as ii she
was a real empress, ''and quit it yourself,
and order the man to drive me back Instant
" to where you-you intruded upon me.
Instantly, sir, if you please, if you are even
so much as a manr
s.To where II found you? But tlat is
Miles Cregan's,' said l.
You know as well as | do, that 1t is the
Earl of HeXham's,' said she.
500 you mean to tell me they've made
Miles Cregan an earl? No, can't believe
that, anyhow though there's nothing else
on earth you can tell me L IL not belieye-no,
not even if you tell me I'm not dreaming"
.Will you stop the carriage or viii you
not?'' asked she.
lust looked at her face. There was no
answering that anyhow, but in one way
II will,'' said l; ''and Heaven forgive me
if I've given you one minutes distress; for
Heaven only knows how it's been done" |
stretched myself out Of the window and
caught hold Of the drivers near arm. stop,
you thief" l holloaed, "if you don't want
to be pitched oyerr'
aAiI right, sir, / lsnowr' and he made the
horses galop again.
| was throwing the door on my own side
open, in order to swing myself round to the
box and seize the reins, when the girl laid
her hand on my arm.
Heaven help US all! The man won't
stop for you--no, nor for Men'
''Won't he, though. Wen see that any
how. I'll take the reins i yself, and drive
YOU BACK TO the Earl Cl SitSel D 1tslOA tt1.H
we came-on my honour will Can do
nothing to make you undoubt me? It's
some awful mistake-but how it began
"And-where are we noW?'
lookedeut; we were racing past trees
and hedgerows. There was just light enough
to see so much by. But for the rest, we
might be at the sources Of the Nile for aught
knew to the contrary. And tod her SO,
81 must get on the box, and make thls
deaf fool of q coachman drive us back HIM
self; for I'm lost il the bush myself said
/.
sit would be mad. The house would be
closed. II am goyerness there. we are
OH the road to Walthamstow. Do me one
favor, sir; leave the carriage yourself, and
let me drive on. Whatever the mistake IS,
whoever you have taken me for, nights
walk will not harm you much, and l shall
thank you to my dying day But or, she
cried out. as all her calmness broke down
into a storm of tears-"O Tom, my brother,
what will y0a d0--whcre are yON7 Too late
always, alYaysW
NY head wasn't OF much use just then for
want of knowledge; but my heart was just
breaking TO help her il | could only guess
how. She was right enough in one thing:
it wouldn't do for anybody's goyeiness,
i.1s, ~. -, Iof.d;s II, no calrObf or ia ftnIuu