The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-21

never came near him. She had seen him
the worse for liquor once-which she be-
lieved was his usual condition-and her
mother would never let her run the
chance of seeing him thus second time.
The morning came genialand brilliant
I slept soundly, and rose refreshed. A
pleasant breakfast was spread in the sit
ting-room, where Ihad been over night.
There was little matter, which was
sorely perplexing me. Being at the inn,
l ought to ask for and pay my account,
but on the other hand, I had been treat
ed with such motherly kindness and hos
pitality that really did not like to offer
them money. I remember, however,
having heard my dear father say that it
was very rarely indeed that you could Of
fend people by offering them money
which might be thought their due, and
he also used to say that whether they
took it or not they at least liked to have
the offer of it. Accordingly, though
with some stamnering. l asked for my
bill. As soon as ever had uttered the
monosyllable I was ashamed of it, for
my good landlady took both my hands
in hers and said that l must uot say an
other syllable on the subject, for they
were charmed to have me there, and
were thankful that I should have been
their guest. .....
"And now, my DEAR" she said, II de-
clare there are visitors coming to see you
already"
And sure enough, just under the arch
way, there was low pony-carriage with
pair of white ponies, and dear old
lady and gentleman, white-headed, VINO
exactly matched the ponies. In min
ute they were within the room shaking
hands with me very warmly.
"We are the father and mother of
William Curtis, who brought you here
last night" said the old lady, introduc-
ing herself. "We are so very glad that
he was able to render you this service.
The Wilmslows are old friends of ours,
and we thought that it might perhaps be
nicer for you if we drove over this
morning in our ponychaise. We are
afraid that they must have been very
much alarmed as you did not turn up"
Nothing could be kinder than this beau
tiful old lady was as we drove along.
She knew all about my going to be a
governess at the Wilmslows, and said
that she hoped that she should be often
seeing me, and that l must come and
spend my shorter holidays at their
home-Langley Manor House, on the
other side of Manningham.
In due time we came to bennington,
when the Wilmslows gave me very
kind reception. They had been greatly
perturbed and dismayed by my non-ar-
rival. Mrs. Wilmslow, with natural
feminine sagacity, laid all the blame
upon her irrational husband, who at
once meekly accepted her reprimand.
This, then, was the one CLEAN of ro-
nance which illumined my girlhood. 1t
did not last SO very long. That is to
say, it lasted from five O'clock in the
afternoon till ten o'clock that memora-
BILE September day.
Since then l really can not say that /
have ever met with anything in the
| oAdpC VI uA duNChVuAOs AZ 10 call Wy
wise people that the nation is happy
which has no history, and l think that
the same may be said of woman. But
from this adventure, such as it was,
there flowed several important results.
l found in the Curtises the kindest and
most loving friends I ever made in my
life.
As I made some mention of my fam
lily at the outset, | may say that the
young Squire married my eldest sister,
and through her influence our curate got
a living, which enabled him to marry
my second sister.
As for myself, I often say that am
still a governess, but with this important
diference-that l am governess to chill
dren of my own, and as my boys grow
up they are sometimes cheeky" and
call my dearest William the Governor
I often bless the day when that one
gleam of romance, through tears and
troubles, brought me to the settled sun
shine of my life.
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