Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-27
I H..

The next day found myself thinking
of vision of fair hair, instead of taking
i'll the sense of clever treatise on the
anatomy of the hand, which certainly
could i'll no way be connected with the
events of the day before. Curiously
enough, however, about II o'clock, Mb
drove up to the door, and what was my
astonishmeM-I need hardly say pleas
ure-when Miss Dillon, followed by an
elderly maid, made her appearance.
There she stood, as fair and soft and
beautiful as the day before, but, if posi-
bic, more shy and embarrassed. The
little hand she held out to me trembled
visibly, and she said:
'Oh, DIR. Merrifield, can you forgive
me for disturbing you this morning?
don't know how | made up my mind to
come, but | felt | must, even if. if"
She paused, and tears almost came into
her blue eyes, while ! could think of no
words suitable enough to set her mind at
rest, being ignorant of what she wanted
TO say
Indeed, Miss Dillon, if there is any
thing can do for you l shall be delight
ed; SO beg you will not apologize for
troubling me-
at isn't that exactly" she answered,
once more looking at me in a most dis
tressed manner.
perhaps you require further particu-
lars as to your fathers health | must
repeat what said yesterday"
sob, thank you, it was SO kind of you
he was much better last night; / know
you will do him good; but that was not
what | wanted to ask you-oh, dear you
will think me so Iude, or else aii impos-
ter, or-or--"
impossible, said more vehe msntly
than the case required.
81 don't know how to begin | mean,
perhaps you don't know the peculiar way
papa keeps his accounts
| was startled at this question. Re
Numbering the yellow lozenge in box,
! thought l could say did know one of
Mr.. billions peculiar ways of paying fees,
but not for the world would I tell this
blushing, shy, bewitching girl before me
the truth.
81 don't presume"-l began.
"Oh, no, am sure you DON'T was
going to tell you about it. Papa always
makes his confidential man, Baker, put
the same change every morning into his
pockets, and in the evenings, when Ba-
ker turns out the pockets, he just puts
down i'll book what is missing, and
makes up the number of the coins the
next morning. He does it Just the same
every morning"
was getting rather puzzled myself
now, and could think of nothing more
original to say than:
"Iudeed?"
eyes, it's quite true, or you see
shouldn't have known about it," Here
t1,nf oi ,a, L., al;
puts in n sovereign, half sovereign, n
crown piece-he finds these rather diff |
cult to get sometimes-half crown, n
shilling, sixpence, fourpenny piece, a
threepenny piece, II penny, n halfpenny, |
and n farthing."
"a very complicated way of keeping
ones money, isn't it? or perhaps com |
plicated for Baker," said, feeling it per.
fectly impossible to repress a smile,
though Miss Dillons sweet. earn est
mouth kept 80 grave.
'"No, it is quite simple when one I'M
derstands, because Baker knows exactly |
what n sovereign, a half-sovereign-and
all the rest comes to- forget what it is
but, oh, DIR. Merrifeld ! Baker knew
we had. been yesterday to consult
new physician, and in the evening there
was only n threepenny bit and farthing
missing, and so-and SO / knew mean
Baker knew-and he told me that papa
must have given you something by mis-
take. 1t wasn't the farthing, l can ac-
count for that, and-but was it the three
penny piece, orr"
pray, dear Miss Dillon, don't distress
yourself about such little matter" I
said hastily, "Any time will"
"Oh, no; but papa thinks he paid you,
because he said to me he never gave fee
with so much pleasure, 30 now begin to
think he must have-given YOU" Miss
Dillon quite gasped, 30 that / fastened
to fill in her pause, this time feeling quite
distressed ut her trouble.
"Your father gave me II very good GIN
ger lozengc, Miss Dillon one of those
little mistakes which will occur now and
then. Pray don't make yourself the
least uneasy about it.
"How very kind you are, she snid, A.
gain holding out her hand, which took,
and forgot to let go till she had done
speaking. II felt sure it must be that,
and then ] thought perhaps you would !
think us imposters, and knew you !
would be too much of a gentleman to
it, and so-do you think was i
wrong ?-I came off with Mrs. Brown
this morning, and made up my mind l
would explain the mistake, only 1t was so