The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-01-23
TUE PRESS.
[Belgrayia.l
How / Married Him.
The Confession of a Young Lady.

Edited By Wilkie Couins.)
(coNcLUpED)
Who was this insolent person? Strange
to say, there was something not entlreiy
unfamiliar to me in the voice. The girls
began to giggle Their brother was more
explicit "Oh," says Freddy, tits only Mr..
Sax"
The one becoming course to pursue was to
take no notice of the interruption. Go
on" said. Freddy recited the lines, like a
dear good boy, with as near an imitation OF
my style of elocution as could be expected
from him.
"Poor devilp' cried the voice from the
garden, insolently plying my attentive pu-
pill.
| imposed silence on the girls by a look
and then, without stirring from my chair
expressed my sense of the insolence OF Mr..
Sax in clear and commanding tones. II
shall be obliged to close the window if this
is repeated" Having spoken to that effect,
waited in expectation of an apology 81
lence was the only apology. 1t was enough
for me that had produced the right impress
sion. went on with my recitation:
"Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest
(EOr Brutus is an honorable mani
So are they all, all honorable mem,
Come I to speak in Caesars funeral
He was my friend, faithful and just to me-"
Confound you'll why don't you speak that
last line properly? Listen to me-"
Dignity is valuable quality, especially in
governess. But there are limits to the
most highly trained endurance. | bounced
out into the balcony-and there, on the ter
race, smoking cigar, was my lost stranger
in the streets of Sandwich!
He recognized me, on his side the instant
/ appeared. 'Oh, Lord p he cried in tones
of horror, and ran round the corner of the
terrace as if my eyes had been mad bulls in
close pursuit of him. By this time it is, /
fear, useless for me to set myself up as
discreet person in emergencies. Another
woman might have controlled herself.
burst into fits of laughter. Freddy and the
girls joined me. For the time, it was plain
ly useless to pursue the business of educa
ton. shut up Shakespeare, and allowed
no, let me tell the truth, encouraged-the
children to talk about Mr.. Sax.
They only seemed to know what Mr.. Sax
himself had told them. His father and
mother and brothers and sisters had all died
in the course of time He was the sixth
and last of the children, and he had been
Is Latin there Freddy interposed) for sixth.
Also christened "Cyrir' there the girls re-
covered the lead) by his mothers request;
''Sextus'' being such hideous name. And
which of his Christian names, my dears,
does he use? You wouldn't ask if you
knew! ssSextus," of course, because it is the
ugliest. Sextus Sax? Not the romantic
sort of name that one likes, when one is a
woman. But have no right to be particu-
lar. Ny own name lis it possible that
have not mentioned it in these pages yet? fis
a homely one-I am only Susan Morris. Do
not despise me-and let us return to Mr..
Sax. Is he married? The eldest girl
thought not. She had heard mamma say to
lady, can old German family, my dear,
and, in spite of his oddities, an excellent
man; but so poor-barely enough to live on
and blurts out the truth, if people ask his
opinions, as if he had twenty thousand a
yearr' Your mamma knows him well, of
course? / should think so, and SO do we.
He often comes here. They say he's not
good company among grown-up people.
We think him jolly. He understands dolls,
and he's the best back at leap-frog in the
whole of England.
Thus far we had advanced in the praise
of Sextus Sax, when one of the maids came
in with a.note for me- She smiled mysteri-
ously, and said, 'Pm to wait for an answer,
Miss.
8 / opened the note and read these lines:
81 am SO ashamed of myself, / daren't at
tempt to make my apologies personally.
Will you accept my written excuses Upon
nv honor, nobody told me when got here
yesterday that you were in the house. i
heard the recitation, and-can you excuse
my stupidity?-I thought it was stage
struck housemaid amusing herself with the
children. May accompany you when you
90 out with the young ones for your daily
walk? One word will do. Yes or no. Pen
iLently yours,-S. S."
In my position, there was but one possible
answer to this. Goyernesses must not make
appointments with strange gentlemen-even
when the children are present in the capaci-
ty of witnesses. said, No, Am I claim
ing too much for my readiness to forgive in
juries, when add that should have pre-
ferred saying Yes?
We had our early dinner, and then got
ready to go out walking as usual. These
pages contain true confession. Let me
own that hoped Mr.. Sax would understand
my refusal, and ask Mrs. Fosdyke's leave to
accompany us. Lingering a little as we
went downstairs, l heard him in the hall
actually speaking 10 Mrs. Fosdyke! What
was he saying? That darling boy Freddy,
got into difficulty with one of his boot
laces exactly at the right moment. / could
help him and listen-and be sadly disap-
pointed by the result. Mr.. Sax was Offend
ed with me.
"You needn't introduce me to the new
governess,'' heard him say. "We have
met on former occasion, and produced
disagreeable impression on her. beg you
will not speak of me to Miss Norris"
Before Mrs. Fosdyke could say word in
reply, Master Freddy changed suddenly from
darling boy to detestable imp. 81 say,
Mr.. Saxr' he called out, 'Miss Morris
doesn't mind you bit-she only laughs at
you"
The answer to this was the sudden closing
Of door. Mr.. Sax had taken refuge from
me in one of the ground-foor rooms. was
so mortified, could almost have cried.
Getting down into the hall, we found Mrs.
Fosdyke with her garden hat on, and one of
the two ladies who were staying in the house
1.-THE unmarried one) whispering to her at
the door of the morning-room. The lady
Miss Melbury-looked at me with certain
appearance of curiosity which | was quite
at loss to understand, and suddenly turned
away toward the further end of the hall.
81 will walk with you and the Children"
Mrs. Fosdyke said to me. "Freddy, you
can ride your bicycle if you like" She
turned to the girls. "My dears, it's cool
under the trees. You may take your skip
ping-ropes."
She had evidently something special to
say to me; and she had adopted the neces-
sary measures for keeping the children in
front of us, well out of hearing. Freddy led
the way on his horse on three wheels; the
girls followed, skipping merrily. Mrs. Eos
dyke opened her business by the most en-
barrassing remark that she could possibly
have made under the circumstances.
81 find that you are acquainted with Mr..
Sax" she began; land l am surprised to
hear that you dislike him."
She smiled pleasantly, as if my supposed
dislike of Mr.. Sax rather amused her. What
the ruling passion may be among men,
cannot presume to consider. My own sex,
however, may claim to understand. The
ruling passion among women is conceit.
Ny ridiculous notion of my own consequence
was wounded in some way. 1 assumed
position of the loftiest Indifference.
Greatly, ma'am," l said, 81 can't under
take to answer for any impression that Mr..
Sax may have formed. We met by the
merest accident. I know nothing about
him.
Mrs. Fosdyke eyed me silly, and appeared
TO be more amused than ever.
'He is a very odd man" she admitted,
'but can tell you there is a fine nature un-
der that strange surface of his. However"