Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-03-12

| MISS N0tman uShtui unAiOuSly'
He rushed on to his fate. He said.
"Nothing whatever. Pray go on"
Miss hoffman went on.
"You see, Father, Lady Loring was
unusually particular about, the dinner
on this occasion. She said;~f Lord Lor-
ing reminds me that Mr.. Romayno is u
very little cater, and yet very difficult
to please in what he does eat OF
course, L consulted my experience, and
suggested exactly the sort of dinner
that was wanted under the circuH-
stances. wish to do her ladyship the
utmost Justice. She made no objeo-
ton to the dinner in itself. On the
contrary she complimented me on
what she was pleased to call my ready
invention. But when we came next to
the order in which the dishes were to
be served" Miss Notman paused In
the middle OF the sentence and shud-
dered over the private and poignant re-
collections which the order of the
dishes called up.
BY this time Father Benwell had dis
covered his mistake. He took a mean
advantage of Miss Notman's suscepti-
bilities to slip his own private inquiries
into the interval of silence.
"Pardon my ignorance" he said |;
"my own poor dinner is matter of
ten minutes, and one dish. 1 don't un-
, derstand difference of opinion on o
dinner for three people only. Lord
and Lady Loring, two; Mr.. Romayne,
three-oh perhaps L am mistaken :?
Perhaps Miss Eyrecourt makes q
| fourth ?"
"Certainly, Father!"
ga very charming person, Miss Not
man. I only speak as stranger. You,
no doubt, are much better acquainted
with Miss Eyrecourt?"
"Much better, indeed, if may pre-
sumo to say so,' Miss hoffman replied.
She is my lady's intimate friend we
have often talked of \, IS Eyrec 0urt
during the many years of my residence
in this house. On such subjects her
ladyship eats me quite on the footing
of an humble friend. A complete con-
trast to the tone she took, Father, when
we came to the order of the dishes.
We agreed, of course, about the soup
and the fish, but we had little, very
little divergence of opinion, as may
call it, on the subject of the dishes to
follow. Her ladyship said, First the
sweetbreads and then the outlets l
ventured to suggest that the sweet
breads, as white meat, had better not
immediately follow the turbot, as white
fish. 'The brown meat, my lady L
said, as an agreeable y5riety presented
to the eye, and then the white meat, ro-
calling pleasant remcmbranccs OF the
white fish, You see the point, FatherT
81 see, Miss Notman, that you are q
consummate mistress of an art which is
quite beyond poor me. Was Miss Eyre
court present at tho little discussion%
"Oh, no! Indeed | should have OBJ
jected to her presence; L should have
said she was young lady out of her
proper place.
eyes, yes; / understand. Is Miss
Eyrecourt an only child?"
"An only child now. She had a sis
ter, who is dead.
"Sad for the father and mother, Miss
Notman!"
"Pardon me, sad for the mother, no
doubt. The father died long since"
"AyI ay! A sweet woman, the
mother? At least, think I have heard
so."
Miss hoffman shook her head. 81
should wish to guard myself against
speaking unjustly of any one," she said;
"but when you talk of q 'sweet woman,'
you apply las it seems to me) the
domestic virtues. Mrs. Eyrecourt is
essentially a frivolous person"
A frivolous person is, in the vast
majority of cases, person easily per-
suaded to talk, and not disposed to be
reticent in keeping secrets. Father
Benwell began to see his way already to
the necessary information.
"Is Mrs. Eyrecourt living in Lon
DOM" he inquired.
"Oh, dear, no! At this time of year
she lives entirely in other peoples
houses-goes from one country seat to
another, and only thinks of amusing
herself No domestic qualities, Father.
She would know nothing of the order OF
the dishesl Lady Loring, L should have
told you, gave way in the matter of the
eweetbread. 1t was only at quite the
letter part of my 'mcnoo," as the
French call it, tat she showed a spirit
of opposition-well, we'll! won't dwell
on that will only ask you, Father,
at what mt of a dinner an oyster-ome-
lette ought to be served
Father Benwell seized his opportunity
of discovering Mrs. Eyrecourts present
address. "My dear lady," he said, az
know no more when the omelette ought
to be served than Mrs. Eyrecomt her.
self 1t must be very pleasant to a lady
of her way of thinking to enjoy the