The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-10-22
HER FIRST APPEARANCE.

should occur, and the more she
thought of 1t the more was Mrs.
Stewart Allenby in despair.
And with good reason, for she had
issued cards for morning concert
a matinee musicale, as she called II
on the invitations; the first she had
ever given since she moved to the
great house in one of the most fash
i0nahle roads in South Kensington.
and she particularly desired that It
should be a success-and now Slgnara
Belcore had gone and fallen sick at
the eleventh hour, and the pro-
gramlne would he too short unless
.>4flsNnne k<Hl.i D =. -. u elsie he
cavatina from "Linda de Chamuu-
nix"
"Put in q comic song instead, /" sug-
gested Mr.. Allenby, whose taste was
not educated up to concert pitch.
"a comic song indeed !" echoed his
wife with scornful laugh. George,
you are fool ~
But as Mr.. Alenby had heard this
blunt statement good maLy times
before, he was not at all discomposed
by it.
AT that moment the door opened
softly. Mrs. AIIenby started up.
Williams" cried she to the foot
man, Pm not at home! Didn't l
tell you L could see nobody this
mOrning!"
eyes, madam" the footman an
swered, coughing behind his hand !;
"but it isn't company madam-it's
the visiting governess.
"Oh ~ Mrs. Allenby was visibly
relieved. "Come in, Miss Ashton.
Williams. call Miss Constance at once
to her lessons"
Margaret Ashton came quietly in,
a little, gray-dressed creature, like
1un, with soft hazel eyes, complex
ion as pale as ivory. and mended
gloves upon her small hands.
"You are not well, Mrs. Allenby,
l am afraid ?" she said, gently, as she
seated herself.
II am well enough ~ said Mrs.
Steward Allenby, petuIently-"only
Pm in despair. You don't know of
any one who could sing that cavati-
ma for me, do you, Miss Ashton ?''
perhaps I COULD" said Margar-
ct.
"You ?"
Mrs. Allenby stared as if the visit
ing geverness had stated that she
could construct sentence in Sanscrit.
II could sing little once" said
land that cavatina was
one of my favorite pieces"
"You darling!" she cried. "If
only you could help me out of this
dilemma. pll be grateful to you all
my life long,"
Margaret went back to the humble
little suburban cottage where she
rented three rOOmS-a cottage where
she supported Il fretfUl yaletudinar-
ian mother, IA pretty widowed sister.
whose life had been a failure all the
way through.
Charlotte" she said, to the latter,
II am going to sing at concert next
Wednesday !"
"YouW echoed the widow. "You'll
fail for a certainly"
II can try" said Margaret, with
sigh.
"Your voice is well enough" said
the sister, disparagingly; but it has
no volume. And you never will
have the confidence to sing before an
The tears came into Margaret's
eyes.
II must do something, Charlotte"
said she. 1--WE cannot live on as we
are living gnow. Weare in debtevery-
where; and since the doctor has pre-
scribed dainties for mamma haven't
known where to look for the money
to buy them with.'
perhaps shall get something to
do soon," said Charlotte.
"But, in the meantime ?" said Mar
garet, with a sorrowful uplifting of
her eyebrows.
She was magnanimous little
thing, this hard-wOrked, pale faced
governess, or she would have
her elder sister that sitting
all day with curl-pape cred locks and
dog's-earned novels was no way to
obtain lucrative situation of any
sort.
"It's very hard on me-" said Mrs.
Ashton, who sat with devotional
book in her lap and bunch of grapes
on china plate beside her. "If Mar
garet had been like any one else she
would have made a brilliant match
long ago."
Margaret did not remind her moth
er how she had discarded Basil Hep