Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-03-19

person"
"The influence on mo ?" she asked.
"No. The influence which you
might exercise on another person."
She knew perfectly we'll that he was
speaking of himself. But she was de-
termined to feel the pleasure of making
him own it.
eff have any such influence as you
describe" she began, "I hope it is 70,
goodT
Certainly for good"
"You speak positively, Mr.. Romayne.
Almost as positively-only that can
scarcely be-as if you were speaking
from experience.
He might still have evaded direct
reply, if she had been content with
merely saying this. But she looked al
him while she spoke. He answered the
look.
"Shall I own that you are right?" he
said. "I was thinking of my own ex.
perience yesterday"
She returns to the photographs. "It
sounds impossible" she reioined, softly
There was pause. "Was it anything
said?" she asked.
"No. 1t was only when you looked
at me. But for that look 1 don't think
I should have been here to-day"
She shut up the photographs on q
sudden, and drew her chair little away
from him.
az hope" she said, you have not Sc
poor ON opinion of me as to think l
like to be hattered ?"
Romayne answered with an earnest
ness that instantly satisfied her.
"I should think it an act of insolence
to fatter you," he said. eff you knew
the true reason why I hesitated to ac-
aspt Lady Loring's invitation-if I
could own to you the new hope for my
self that has brought me here-you
would feel, as 1 feel, that l have been
only speaking the truth. I daren't say
yet that I owe you debt of gratitude
for such little thing as look. Imust
wait till time puts certain strange fam
cies of mine to the proof"
"Fancies about me, Mr.. Romayne%
Before he could answer the dinner.
bell rang. Lord and Lady Loring en-
tered the library together
The dinner having pursued its ap
pointed course always excepting the
case of the omelette), the head servant
who had waited at the table was gracious
ly invited to rest, after his labors, in thu
housekeeper's room. Having addition
ally conciliated him by means of glass
of rare liqueur, Miss Notman, still feel
ing her grievance as acutely as ever
rcntured to inquire, in the first place
il the gentlefolks upstairs had enjoyed
their dinner. So far, the report was
on the whole, favorable. But the oon
versation was described as occasionally
tagging. The burden of the talk had
been mainly borne by my lord and my
lady, Mr.. Romayne and Miss Eyrecourt
contributing but little to the social en-
joyment Of the evening. Receiving this
information without much appearance
OF interest, the housekeeper put another
question, to which, Judging by her man.
ner, she attached certain Importance
She wished to know if the oyster-ome
lette, accompanying the cheese, had
been received as welcome dish, and
treated with just recognition of its
merits. The answer to this was decid
edly in the negative. MIR. Romayne
and Miss Eyrecourt had declined tc
taste it. My lord had tried it, and had
left it on his plate. My lady alone had
really eaten her share of the misplaced
dish. Having stated this apparently
trivial circumstance, the head servant
was surprised by the effect which itpro'
duced on the housekeeper. She leaned
back in her chair and closed her eyes
with an appearance of unutterable en-
ioyment. That night there was one
supremely happy woman in London
and her name was Miss hoffman.
Ascending from the housekeeper's
room to the drawing room, it is to be
further rep ported that music was tried,
as a means of getting through the time
in the absence of general conversation.
Lady Loring sat down at the piano
and played as admirably as usual Al
the other end of the room Romayne and
Stella sat together, listening to the
music. Lord Loring, walking back
ward and forward with restlessness
which was far from being characteristic
of him in his after dinner hours, was
stopped when he reached the neighbor-
hood of the piano by private signal
from his wife.
owls at are you walking about for?''
Lady Loring asked in whisper, with
out interrupting her musical perform
ance.
"Im not quite easy, my dear"
"Turn over the music. Indiges-
tion?"
"Good heavens, Adelaide, what q
question"