The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-03-26
BY HUGH WILSON AND W. G. BENET.

what he wanted-the statuesqueness;
and everybody considered it a settled
affair.
think Viola began to consider it her.
self. She had just one letter from John
Ellsworth after his return, and he had
said: 81 love you, Viola, and am wait
ing for you"
She did not answer the letter. But
she was cross even with Mrs. Morning
ton for two days after it.
Then she was seized with a fit OF
homesickness, and but that her friend
was taken suddenly and really i'll, moth
ing would have kept her there. Mr..
Nicolson came more frequently than
ever; in his way very kind and consider
ate. Frank Thorpe was in and out, not
so frequently as before that morning
when John Ellsworth had come, but
often enough to keep him in her
thoughts.
One night, in early spring, Frank
Thorpe came and took Viola out for a
drive.
You were looking tired. We may
not have another such night in month, u
Frank said.
In the half.hour they did not speak
half.a. dozen sentences; and yet when be
set her down at her door, and held her
hand for minute, as he said, "Fare
we'll /" Viola felt they were nearer each
other than before.
Viola was one morning summoned to
the drawing-room to meet Mr.. Nicol,
son. In the occupation of the past
weeks she had had very little opportun-
ity to think about him or his purposes.
No girl ever went to meet the final
question with less determination as to
her answer. She knew his errand the
moment she entered the room. Not that
he was confused or hesitating, or in any
way disconnected.
"My dear young lady," he said, de-
ferentially, "I want your permission to
ask you personal question:"
"You have it, sir" she said.
And then in q speech which was more
like a set Grafton than anything else
Viola had ever heard, he offered her his
hand and fortune.
The thought of saying no to such a
stately piece of oratory as that frighten-
ed and futtered her. But she did say
it, very sweetly and gracefully, but also
very decidedly, and Mr.. Nicolson went
away very red in the face and good
deal crestfallen.
She went upstairs to Mrs. Morning
ton.
"Aunt, I've done it! And I'm 80
surprised /"
"At what2"
GIVE refused MIR. Nicolson."
"My dear, I always thought you
would"
"Did you You astute woman And
always fancied that if he asked me to
be Mrs. Nicolson, I sould say, yes"
"Perhaps you will be sorry by-and-by
that you have said no."
"Perhaps I shall never be surprised
at anything again I"
"From a worldly point of view, you
have made mistake, my dear"
"Don't rack my feelings. They are
sufficiently lacerated already"
A servant announced Frank Thorpe.
"Aunt, shall - and paused.
Even in her reckless, oyer excited
mood, she could not complete the SEN
tence.
"Shall you be kinder%to him than
you have been to Mr.. Nicolson
"Don't ask me-"
So Viola went down to see her visit
or, who was at the full tide of his
languid, tired Indifference.
"How very entertaining you are to-
day Your conversational powers are
something to be wondered at, Viola said
at last, impatiently.
"Entertaining?" opening his eyes
with mild wonder. 81 supposed that
was your share of the interview. How
ever, if you like, I'll begin. You are
not looking so we'll as usual this morn
ing"
ing beginning"
"But you have infinitely the advap-
tage of Mr.. Nicolson, whom I mot just
now. He seemed laboring under the
impression that there had been an
earthquake"
Viola laughed, and ended with half
sob.
"And so there had been. There,
talk about something else. You needn't
be entertaining any more"
IT WONDER" leaning toward her,
slow fire gathering in his dreamy eyes,
"if I should find an earthquake waiting
for me if I followed Mr.. Nicolson's
leadl"
"Miss Rawdon," the servant an.
nounced, and that put an end to it all.
Viola reasoned herself into convic.
tion that she was in love with Frank
Thorpe, or if not actually in that con-
dition, that she might easily find her.
self there. And because passive pa
tience was not possible just then, she
gathered up all John Ellsworth's gifts
and letters and put them out of her
sight, as if he had anything to do with
it.
The crisis was not tar off. Coming in
from an errand that night she found all
the dimly-lighted house empty, and
went on from room to room till in the
library she opened the door on Frank
Thorne.
"Since you were not at home, came
to find for myself volume Mrs. Morn
ington had promised me-" he explained.
But he closed the door as he gave her
chair, as if the tetc-a-tete were part of
his plan.
She looked up at his pale face and
shining eyes, and felt her heart sink.
And yet this was the conclusion to which
she had reasoned herself fewhours ago.
And then five minutes OF talk, in which
her part was monosyllabic, and Frank
Thorne had proposed and been accept
ell; and she was crying quietly, with her
head on the library table, and he was
walking the room in an agitated move
ment.
"We might as we'll begin with clean
record" ho said with great deal of
hard earnestness in his voice, "You are
not my first love, Viola. Not quite two
years ago she Tilted me. was in an
awfully spoony condition-there's no
denying it; and, for few weeks, thought
it would be the death of mo. One morn
ing my letters and trinkets came back
10 me. There was not word of expla-
nation, and I did not choose to ask any.
When I had tired myself out, and was
in condition to lie down in dust at her
feet, the house was shut up and the
family had gone abroad. That's the
whole of it,
k,,l &l>1, H.