New-York tribune., 1880-06-27
d,ninuroom. dinners are very sensible things DO
hone shall 20 to great many dinners In my ilfe''
ILL.,.

shat hnJ soid many unknown things to Mona.
Mr.. Douglas Courtney, who had come Tue Hicainxo
TO read for an examination, had 6een mtnh i Ioou y
NOD II is true but lie had found tmo 10 take
number of walks in the evening and to pay morn IN
inc call at Mrs NeWnhamS. On tnaI Occ,,sluh VliJ
inR ~ T of Ilyvork her arms bare to tho elbow ana
redoent OF soap-suds had been lost III w0hell!G1I'
nj the cxpensiveness OF his appearance nc t cI,It
rem, anxious rot to mss ms any cIe tSe SDnartion
with awe Finally Mr. Courtney hau piaceu n,li1 M
self in rckety chair that wcll-mgh ProMStI"Uet M Uot
him the drawngrooln nra carpeS eoldnr dt reStlng
pIore Mrs. Newman, limI and ioyless us she was
bv nature and not holding rose-colored EloTs aH,
OF this world or the next, was not aggreSslSSeMd ad
cioted ot this Young gentleman's advent, CT indeed
cast down Mt his departure: She had hea[a ne WIS was
staying at the vicNrage her daughter had No,a Nc,
was ont had gone into tho village. How were Nlr.
and Miss Gibbinsl Tho vicar was dOuotleSs
sound divine but it could not be eXPecUGIa Ioce ss nf
could listen to another who had taken tne piacd o "
her dear husband with the same edlncatloll, aHu so
forth. Mr. Courtney agreed IT was lnpossi1tiio, 10
When could Mona come III oI',m THUr paced side
,vows With elaborate careessnoss, along with
bead-mat keepsake, and hideous PINK uu VusJm Lo
was there photograph fo % Noo now ~ so perhaps he
youid n not he able to see Mona at all that day;
These reflections proved that the last Ior'ien' 'u
ma At tea fiat evening Mrs Newman mentioned
the afternoon call Mona had heard the eHcItlIis ci
news from the children ana the hliilu-o @ onii
td d1 th" wiS cbidTen not to crowd round them as
t6ev were Punch and Judy show, or perf1rmlng M
have bb to inform Jane that IChristan young women
generally cothc themselves to the wrist when they
Pm sure do the best can; perhaps when yon
have n house of your own you will manage things
better than yOur mother. ChlldIen,, nolu III III
tongues and give me the bag OF stockings ""'u
Mrs Newnhaln like the martyr s1e was A.,
Il didn't mean to grumble; forgive me- mother'
and let me help YOU replied Mona , .1
The rain was heating against tne wlnuow. ,os 70 90
shall not see him tonight; how stupid was 10 go
ont she thought For what can be more healtF
after reading all day than brisk walk at hlgnti gI
and what more natural tdm t, tr avs nrtv Girls In
this way had Douglas Courtney combined Noha
society with much study. ,, .u; Tor
The Qirl, who ut all times indulged passion LOT
open air, Opined that il would be a,ne hagrane
absurdity to shut herself within doors peclnsS Sc
people chose to walk past the garden wal anu a., "
course, If Il gentleman to whom one mas ?rsn LII IL
troduced asks one civil question:, one Is IN COM
mon poitent ss bound to answer MN. MI. GouiV
ney, on fine evenings ionn1 an hn'o nun ond sho des-
pte the gathering darkness, was III courtesy COLL
strained TO reply. 81, ,,.., -. -. .l,o AM, -
the garden on the evening before the formal VISIT
: | wish Won would come and call upon my mother.
don't half like seeing you like this-it seems
somehow secret oo,,o or 70
stay away altogether he replied gloolniy lo1 ~
are always telling me not to come, OF ashnR ne u
n
followers allowed" business to scare trlow oil. OH,
For Mr. Courtney was as other men In the nldole
stage Of the tendtr paSSiGn 'HGGa no bad never
called her Mona before. but it slipped out now un-
consciously, even glibly. as If she had been ever
thus i'm his thOughts-i II you went to The canary
Islands or TimbuctoO l should 0c Douhd 10 Iolo"
you colldn't help myself r,--,.,ooo 81. ,,,o
But don't want you to go to Timhuctoo or the
Canary islands l was merely sugscstlng tlht you y,',
should come to pay n formal visit, and make thc
acquaintance of my mother :, II,
'Of course I'll do anything you tell me; sal1
Douglas in lOverliko meekness I0h ti'ihk WI l
can come tomorrow, thought it viii hayc TO be
the day after. Mind your Mt home.
That's right be good boy ana 40 as yoa anI re
told said Mona, with attempted sinartnrSS' anu
YOU will grow up source OF pride and Joy 10 your
parents BY the by, have you got any r ...
. 'Ye-cs-usual number; and rum old customer
"' TRyr asked the girl to this touchingly dIial
remark.
We'll, you sce.' no rcjoiuc'i; drawing a
STICK, st"s he fG'' has lots Of money, but snch
rum noti0ns-won't allow me anything at all, at
least not anything worth mentioning hnqnI
enough to maintain n respectable family until L
get some appointment, or work hard at sono pro-
fcssion or other Now, work don't suit my constl-
did. tell the governor he's bringing
me TO an early grave What with the mental eX-
ertion of "Grcats" Mt oxford. and the brown
sherry ut the Middle Temple, its marvel I'm
alive, said this rudely healthy young Gentleman
stretching his as yet muscular upper cxtremities
Poor fellow said his audience. so you nave 10
sit poked up reading all day. It seemed to the
girl litto short of sacrego tQ compel anything 30
handsome and delectabe as the Individual before
her to do anything distasteful TO him. IL IN 100
bad of your father she exclaimed synpathctica ly,
as If that lonRsuflcring gentleman were the nhrdrst
of tasknnstcrs. SO what arc you Bomg To do
What il this examination
Oh it's the Colonial Ofllce; very decent sort OF
work when you once get In only there's this com
pctitve exam business before you get In, and
there's all iRinovable and inexorable old governor,
who won't hand out II don't
After this followed tho usual sweet sorrow
occasoncd by the prOtracted hour. aud the ominous
voice of Mrs. Ncwnham gathering in the missing for
tho night from the garden door, On the morrow
Mr.. Douglas Courtney was lmpelled on the luckiess
visit in Miss Newnhams absence.
The rain pattered against Tho window that night.
The solitary candle 1lickcrcd with the wind that
was invited so literally through countless holes and
cracks In wainscOt and SASH As Mrs Newman
lifted up her voice, crying III her nocturnal mono;
ogne over the expensiyrncss OF children IN general
and the Instability OF shOe-leathcr III particular,
NOnn's thoughts were at liberty wander away.
Yes said the rain to her fancy, ] shall ram,
rain, all the week. and then your fine lover Will 20
away! And the wind ratified the easement and
shivcred tho magenta roses ana paper waterfalls
that in courtesy are said to ornnment hc-Rrates.
Yes,' said the still small voice that on such oc-
casons never fails to offer the most comforting sug-
Resi0ns, he Is at tho vicarage They have Just
done dinner The frc-of course they have lighted
n ire-is burning brightly, the lamps are shaded
discrectly. TheOphius yes, TheOphilus IL deep ia
n book i'll luxurious armchair, while Cynthia, III
that white cashmere, IS singing an imprisoned
Italian lONc-SOnR, Wllllc nc IL JululuB ONtI iilc
leaves The candle was Pickering In Its
socket she was back again in the dismal little
room The widow was speaking: You need not
light another candle, Mona we may rs wcll go to
bed and finish these stockings by daylight And
forthwith the Ladies' retired.
The next day brought no change. It rmned con-
tinually with earnest steady downpOur. lie
might have made some excuse, and come to see
me- thought Mona; hut il IL pours cats and dogs
Tomorrow il won't prevent me from going to see
Cyntnap But the next day the shOne forth
mcrrily, and by the time the girl was on her way
to pay her visit, the roads nearly dry, the day
bright and warm.
Miss Gibbns was charmed to see Mona She In
listed calling her brother from his study. Oh.
pray don't disturb HIM, | know he must be busy
said the visitor wondering. and yet not daring To
ask, after the whereabouts of another man. Theo-
P Ti, nnd after him hsw desirable after n ia
existenceA the younger. moro compact figure of
Douglas Courtney. The conversation Of lncccsslty