The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-05-01
CHAPTER W.

dence of John Carrngton--not Esquire,
for the owner was a chemist, possessing
thriving business somewhere IN the neigh
borhood of Old Bond Street, where he
spent the greater part Of his time Duslly
enough, not always compromising pills or
making up prescriptions, but overlooking
two or three assistants, aud experimenting
u little on his own account, keeping mas
tcr's eye on the old-cstablishcd and pros
porous business.
lie was mild earncst-loOking man,
little past middle age, with thick gray hair
and clear bright blue cycs--one witha gen.
tie honest face that inspired CONFIDENCE
lie was man who liked to see his own
home well ordered and trim, his wife Ia
dy in every sense of the word. His dallsli-
tiers gentle and refined. such was FLOR
cncc WorthingtOn's uncle, or rather the
husband of her aunt, her mothers only
sister, to whose home she had been warmly
invited.
"Wha is she like, mother" was asked
repeatedly by Maud and Ethel Carrington,
~ they waited in great excitement for the
arrival Of their new cousin but the answer
was always the same and to them never
satisfying
IL cannot tell YOU Ethel. 1t is impossi-
Bile to say, since | have seen so little of
Your cousin"
.'But when YOU did see her, mother
what was she like them" Ethel persisted.
"rhe first time, "A baby a month old,
ovcrburdcncd with silk and lace; the see
ond, n dear little fairy of three years, whom
| saw in midwinter, and whom lougcd TO
take and wrap in warm soft clothing, like
yours used to be, but who was wonderful
ly dressed in the height Of fashion then,
with little bare neck and arms; the third,
which was the other day, slight pale girl
in deep mourning, who seemed broken
down with grief aud made my heart ache
rs looked at her.
"But why have YOU seen so little Of her,
mothcrs" Maud Darlington asked wonder
ingly. "She is our own cousin"
"Because, my dear, could see that my
visits were intrusive; because, although
she is my own niece, am chemists wife
and she u Baronct's daughter and niece of
Countess. The gulf between us is "a
wide one; and your father did not care that
/ should be an unwclcomc visitor. Your
cousin could not possibly have wanted for
anything but q mothers care, and that
they would not allow me togiye her"
IL do hope she will be nice, MOTHER"
Maud said anxiously.
81 hope so too, my dear but we must
be content with her as she is" Mrs. Car
rinton answered. as if with u lingering
doubt on the subject. Poor girl, she is
dcsolate enough, and, if she knows any
thing at all, must feel terribly distressed
about her fathers affairs; but hope they
have kept the worst from her. At any
rate, We will try to do the best we can for
her. She will be pleased with her rooms,
and she must like you both my dcars."
al hope she will like Philip" Maud sug-
gested.
Sand think IL is Of much Importance
that Philip should like her." Ethel an
swered with implied indignation in her
voice. But he is sure to do that; dear old
Phil always likes everybody she added;
and her dark eyes grew brighter still rs
she uttered the name Of one she evidently
loved so well.
And this was TO be Florence Worthing-
toms new home--the home she pictured
with such sickening dread, such loathing
thoughts. TO do her justice, she really
knew nothing Of her aunt and cousins;
nevertheless to her they were hideously, IA
tally distastclul, being made 80 by the
stamp of trade. They were tradcsman's
wife and daughters, let them be ever so
perfect in all else. TO Florence they could
never come within her own charmed circle,
or the circle her own imagination had
marked out as impossible.
In mute adicu Miss Florence Worth
Of . fun
aching heart, had swept through all the
deserted rooms in Portman Square, lingcr.
ing longest in her fathers study, and ad.
ding to her pain as she did so, leaning low.
ingly over his armchair, where she could
trace the impress Of his weary hcad-sho
little knew how weary 1t had hccn-whcrc
she had talked TO him SO hopefully on that
very last occasion. and there seemed such
entire confidence between them, and when,
in spite of ALL her future seemed so bright,
her position such proud one. She pass
ed on to the conservatory, STAYING q mo-
ment at the spot where Lord lIarcourtS
VOWS had been offered to her, his coronct
held out for her acceptance. She fingered
longer ut the orangc-trcc, given TO her in
such happy times by Hugh Carleton, and
from which something prompted her to
break of spray with bud and lcaf--a
souvenir Of happcst times, she Thought
Then all was over, and she had 10 leave
the home where her spoiIt, though rather
lonely childhood and her bright thought
less girlhood had been passcd--dcarcr
now TO her in remembrance thousand times
than It had ever been in realty--and she
vowed that in her lifetime she would never
again pass its threshold.
The house had been taken just as II was
by her cousin, the heir, who, with show
of generosity, had begged her to select and
retain anything and everything II might
give her the slightest pleasure to keep or
possess for her own use. But IL was Flor.
ence's present nature to scorn all such gen.
crosby; and she hated her fathers heir
with jealous hate, as almost usurpcr.
She looked upon his Offer as prcSumptuous,
ana intended only to humiliate hcr she
even took martyrs pleasure in dcpriying
nr,seh OF many birthday gifts and splen.
".u pvscht',-icrs almost by right--which
hau ADORNED her own rooms. which she
might nave sun kept with little loss of
dignity. she left them all, retaining only
the few trinkcts her mother had nnssps.oi
and others Of small value tina, had noon
given TO her personally, or that In her lay.
ish extravaganza she had purchased for her
own adornmcnt. Her splendid wardrobe
fit almost for a princess left To her.
and now, packed In large eases, was stand.
ing ready In the hall to go with her to Full.
ham Lady Ravens carriage was AT tho