Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-10
CHAPTER II.

y
did you get back" and George Leslie
found his hand grasped by portly,
eomfortable-looking gentleman in gold
trimmed glasses and wideawake hat.
"I-I beg your pardon, l DON'T
can't quite recall you, though l seem
to remember your voice" George stam-
mered.
The porty gentleman laughed. "Well.
you're more changed than / am, l
dare say, and yet knew you in a mo-
ment. Is it possible that you've for
gotten"
"Beauclere Why of course; how
stupid of me /" and Georges brown face
grew very curious brick color as he
wrung his old friends hand. 'I've been
away five years, and it tells on all Of
u.s."
Il wish it told such fattering tale on
me as it does on you" Mark said with a
smile. "Ceme and dine with me, old
fellow-no excuse-it won't put us out
in the least. Mrs. Beauclere is at
Brighton with Miss Armstrong, SO I'm
en- garcon. We live up at Putney-
Jump in" as a 'bus" came up "and
tell me all about your adventures, and
when you returned.
81 only landed three days ago, and !
haven't had any adventures, except of
the most commonplace, practical kind
The business | went out to manage
turned out very well. | made some
money, and I've come to England to
settle down-that's all How is Mrs.
BeauclereW
Quite well, thanks. Have you put
on the halter yet, George?''
"No. The Celestial Empire is GER
tainly not the place Of all others to
tempt a man to matrimony."
Lucky fellow? | wish / had gone
there with you"
George was silent-it seemed like
treason to echo the wish 1t was Just
like that monster Mark, ever to express
it. OF course he made poor Lucy mis-
cradle, that was only to be expected
How he ever could have become SO
supremacy dull and commonplace
George couldn't imagine. When he
entered the drawing he couldn't
help noticing little evidences of Lucy
about; her ol1-fashioned work table
black cat which he seemed dimly to
remember and drawing or
two His heart beat little quickly:
and on the whole he was glad that he
had not to meet her ON that first even
ing. Does Miss Armstrong always
live with your he asked, presently.
yes, of course, where else could
she live? Indeed, | don't know in the
least how the house would get on with
out her. You see my wife and 60 in
for politics and literature, and that sort
of thing; and if we hadn't some one to
keep us i'll order and see to our
creature comforts, I'm afraid we'd
starve. If ever you do marry, George,
don't select clever woman with
taste for logic and metaphysics
Mark whispered, looking round eau
tinusly. at simply awful p
81 never fancied Mrs. Beauclere
would develop a taste for those sub
jects," George replied; and then he
smiled little sadly as he thought of
Lucy rs blue stocking, and Aunt Hes
ter, who mad always been his special
horror, whisking about the house, up
setting the domestic comfort Of every
one, and waving her hands in COM
mand or disapproyal, increasingly
II never could stand it, | know" he
said to himself. as Mark went on giving
him some details of the establishment,
with a sort of rueful good humor. "a
clever wife and an energetic aunt-in-law
would be too much for me-"
And it had evidently proved too much
for poor Mark Beauclere. He was no
longer slender, sentimental, and Il thet-
ic; indeed, his chief idea ii life seem
ed to he thorough enjoyment of such
pleasures as remained to him. He en-
ioyed his dinner, for instance, thorough
", and grew quite confidential over his
coffee after.
1t was very sudden, your going away,
George" he remarked, after long chat
over the old times at Westwater, and
the pleasant evenings they used to have
at 'rhe Nest" do you know thought
once that you had rather fancy for
Lucy"
George grew brick-red again, and
bent his eyes resolutely on the table.
at would have been capital thing
for you; and | believe she liked you.
for she seemd altogether out of sorts
when she got your letter. In fact,
George you might have done much
worse than have married Lucy Arm
strong"
Still silence and steady contemplation
Of his glass, on the part Of George.
And for that matter you might do
worse than marry her still
George looked up with a sudden angry
flash, then he grew quite white Mark
was not chatting III the least, he felt
that; still he could not take it all III at
once.
Il believe it's entirely on your ac-
count she remained single" Mark con
tinued, with good garrulIty ''iu
spite of all her aunt's efforts to get her
we'll married"
did YOU say Mrs. Beauclere was stay
ing a. Brighton?' George presently ask
ed, in very meek voice; "beccause [
tholght of running down there for =
few days. Will you came, Mark n
mo, thank you," with droll shrug.
My wife and Lucy are stayins at the
Royal: give them my love, and tell
them they need not hurry back, As
I'm all right
Lucy, dearest, can you forgive me?
II was all dreaded mistake from first
to last thought it was you Mark
wanted to marry; and when he told
me that evening that he had proposed
and been accepted, was frantic. Aunt
Hester never once entered my head"
Luoy's reply was a little unintelli-
gible, but after time they managed to
understand each other. Miss Arm
strong could not long resist lover who
had been faithful to her for five years,
even when he believed her lost to him
forever; and George resolved to marry
her out Of hand, so that there should
be no more misunderstanding. Some
times Mark Beauclere chafis them
both little about Georges mistake;
but always boldly asserts that the great
mistake was Marks after all.
Fashions Exposure OF the Person.