Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-21
II A r r Y.

| ers hastening lakeward, and anxious to reach
| their various destinations in time for dinner OF
| tea, as the case might be. The platform was
| still dotted with the different costumes ultra
pretty or ultra-ugly, which delight the tourist
eye, though the train now on the point of start
| ing was already so full that distinctions of class
had been lost sight of in the rush for seats.made
/ by the famished and tired crowd. Mrs Salway
felt sure that such was the case as she sat in the
corner OF her frst-class carriage, and alternately
cast a9gry chances at the people who had scranl-
bed in after her. and piteous ones at her younger
| daughter. who had not been so successful in the
| crush. and was now standing for Orny enough
upon the platform.
1T is so like Mary" Mrs. Saiway marmured
| 10 her elder daughters; ''really your father
| should have waited for us; this is the last time
that we travel in two parties. / had no idea
| that first-cass passengers were crowded out OF
their seats. and mixed with everybody in this
way. d suppose we must get out, and all stay
| until the next traiu?'
| And indeed the other passengers. notwitb-
standing the guards invitation and her black
looks, showed no inclination to postpone their
arrival for half an hour, and risk the chance OF
| being late at table dhOte.
| There was one passenger. sitting in the oppo-
| site corner from the platform. who excited Mrs.
| SaiWayS more particular spleen. She was quite
certain that the ticket in his pocket. II he had
| one at ALL (this was a mental reseryation). was
! for the third Class. His rough suit was shabby
! and had seen much service, more especially the
knlcherbocker part of it, and in that service his
soft gray hat had apparently shared to a
| very considerable extent. His boots were
as innocent OF backing as his stick of var
nlsh. and the small knapSack above his head
would have failed to carry confidence to the
! MIND OF the least suspicious of hotel keepers.
But he had me redeeming points about him;
his hands We're gOved-in old gloves once yell
low, it is true-and he gave up his seat to OBJ
Ige lady, according to the guards formula.
From ms place IN the corner of the carriage he
| could not see whom he was Obliging. until
having retired with the sharne-faced confusion
which nine out OF ten Englishmen assume when
they are being cUnspicuOusiy courteous. he stole
a glance at her face as she stepped in.
| She gave him a little bow of thanks, and a
| smile of such evident gratitude us would have
converted tine many family friends who cOnsid-
cred Mary SaiWay rather plain than otherwise.
She had a small pale face, with shy brown eyes
a size too large for it; rather timid retiring
face. which made one agree with her mother
that giving way in a crush was lust like Mary
ana very unlike Mrs. Salway. Our friend in
knlckerbOckers saw the smile. and would fain
nave become better acquainted with it: but the
train was already moving off with tine young
| lady. and. as he remembered when too late, with
| his knapsack as well.
| SO 1t happened that when he did reach Win
derinere station his scanty baggage was not to
be found. knapsacks, large and small, are COM
mon things at the lakes and inquiries were in
vain. The Crown Hotel at BOwneSs reached, he
was only just in time to get the last vacant room,
| little one at the top of the house. much en-
numbered with spare baths, babes crib, and
| other odds and ends but otherwise almost as ill
provided with furniture as he was with luggage
However. he was lucky in not having to sleep
under the billiard table, as has happened
to some wayfarers in those parts; and besides,
| the room had such a view of the head of VIM
dermere, the Langdaie Pixies, and High street
| as made up for some slight Inconvenience.
| Strict evening dress is not demanded by eti-
quette at the lake hotels. Some OF the COM
pany, no doubt, are Americans. travelling with
mountains of iron-bOund trunks bearing the
| labels of half the hotels in EurOpe many are
h0neymoonng couples, arrayed in the newest
of apparel from the crown of the head to the
sole of the foot. But many also carry their lug
gage in their hands or on thein backs and so
swaliOW-tails and spOtless shirt-frOnts are out
ofthe question. But the etiquette OF the a1ble
dhote does look for one thing. and that is a
black coat of some kind or other Therefore
Mrs. Salway. who for various reasons had not
| felt all her daughters gratitude was much
aSgfered at the presence of our hero in his
knickerbocker suit; not knowing that it was
through his courtesy that he was compelled to
appear IN this (to Mrs Salway, with whom
form and ceremony were fetishes from whose
worship rank and wealth alone were free) dis
graceful state. But she was more aggriered at
his proximity TO her party, and most of all at
her husbands stupidity and mismanagement in
leaving Mary to take the outside seat SO that
the Young fellow was next to her. The objec-
tionabie gentleman did not see the matter at all
IN the same light; but having attacked the
young lady reserve by the usual observations
about the weather. ratified On SO pleasantly that
Mary quite forgot that she had not been intro
duced to him, and was emboldened to say with
a little blush
IL am So much obliged to you for your kind
ness this afternoon; had you not given up your
seat we should have all had to stay"
IL was very glad to be Of service to you. Do
you stop here long:"
"A week at least / believe
II suppose you hate private rooms here, and
You will disappear after dinner:n
"Oh. no: my father likes to see strangers. and
the coming and going; he thinks it a change
after home life"
Very true" answered the gentleman with
look OF content on his face which was not lost
upon Mary. She begins to feel that the Lake
holiday promises to be at least as agreeable as
she had expected. Women are quick. very
quick, to read mems thoughts when they are
turned toward thenselves-even SUCH shy
little Hampstead maiden as Mary, just released
from the gOverness thraldOm, and still suffer-
ing good deal from repression at the hands of
her mother and sisters. Shesteals a look at him
while he is engaged with his e,,tee He is not
handsome; she settles that at once He is not
tall. with black mOustache, flashing dark eyes
aud an Imposing manner; only keen sunburnt
face is his with small black whiskers and with
eyes bright enough, but of no particular color.
But if his clothes are old and shabby he seems
at home in them, and perfectly at ease with his
company; she is certain that he is gentleman.
not because he gave up his seat to her, but by a
hundred tiny proofs. And she enjoys her first
hotel dinner Very much, and wonders whether
the same seats will be reserved for them every
evening
So when she rises and he bows. Mary is ill.,
cllBcd to view the world through rose-colored
spect cles. Not so her mother. Mrs. Salway
has, during dinner been talking to an old gen
tleman who CHANGED to sit next to her and
whom she does not know from Adam: but
nevertheless on the road to the drawing room
She puts before Mary the enormity of talking to
gentleman to whom she had not been intro
duced, and begs her to behave herself like Agnes
and Laura, who, having been walled ia from
such approaches by those heavy fanking par
ties, Mr.. and Mrs. Salway. have had no chance
OF SHINING in the same way. Her father is in
structed to see that Mary is not allowed to out
lie the party another evening; and when the
Objectionable young gentleman actually has the
| audacity," to quote Mrs. Saway's words, to
enter the drawing room in his knickerbOckers,
and looks inquiringly round as if for some par
ticular person, he finds Mary penned in a corner
by her mother and sisters, who regard him, and
especially his neither garments, with looks in