The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-04-01
LADY ADELA.
Vide AUdke.

Edgar Shafto was an idle, spoilt young man,
who had often been called by the bad names
of ''tlirt' and "adventurer." In the first of
these characters he was so inconstant as to be
hardly dangerous, except to people who had
never heard of him before. He could not be
devoted, even to an heiress. Yet he was am
bilious, often wished to be rich, and had fan
cies of distinguishing himself in different
ways; but as nothing could be gained without
eXertion of some kind this lazy-minded mat
seemed likely to remain a poor nonentity all
his days. Sometimes he talked about going.
in for science, and told his aunt, the only per-
son who believed in him, that if he chose he
could do great things, and make all sorts of
discoveries.
''Well, my dear, why don't you?" said Miss
Shafto, encouragingly.
at is such an awful bore" replied Edgar.
He generally met his aunt in London, and
for years had not thought it worth while to
pay her visit in the country; but one summer
her letters were full of new neighbor of hers,
a certain Lady Adela girl whose relations
were all dead, and who had come down for a
time to house she had in this quiet part of
the world. Miss Shafto had an old friend who
was related to Lady Adela's mother and this
old friend was now living with the heiress,
who was much too young and pretty to take
care of herself tT
All these hopeful circumstances brought Mr..
Edgar down one day to South Hazel, to his
aunt's nice red house in the billy village
street. He had written the day before to say
he was coming, but was too clever to wait for
an answer Old women, with their consden-
tious anxiety, had spoilt his plans once or
twice before, he thought. If he could only
manage to like Lady Adela, why should not
she like him? He was clever, handsome, of
good family. What reasonable objection
could there be? Edgar Shafto was not at all
troubled with modesty, and was beginning to
think that this shilly-shallying life had gone
on long enough. ~ an ta
1t was early in September when he came
down to South Hazel, on lovely, warm after
noon. The harvest wagons were creeping
slowly home, up and down the hills; here and
there a tree was turning yellow, the cottage
gardens were full of flowers, and up above
great fiocks of feecy clouds were weaving
themselves into long low arches across the
blue limpid sky Other clouds were mounting
slowly in heavier masses, away to the south.
All these pretty sights, with the faint smell of
wood-smoke in the air, just to remind one that
it was autumn, made Edgar feel quite charm
ing as he strolled up the hill He had heard
that his aunt was at Hazel House: what could
be better than to follow her there, and to get
rid at once of the slight impotence and curl
osity in his mind.
He found the ladies in one Of the old walled
gardens, which opened into each other at the
back of the house. They were standing by a
bed of pansies; his aunt, tall fat and beamino
:
vile, small and gentle, her hair in round white
curls; Lady Adela, with a basket in her hand,
gathering flowers, and much hindered by the
caresses of two large dogs.
Edgar Shafto lost his heart Immediately. He
had often done it before, but this time he WAS
almost surprised and alarmed at himself for
he could hardly take his eyes away from Lady
Adelia, and certainly not his thoughts. She
was lovely little person; not Short but
slightly and finely. made, holding herself with
the light, graceful uprightness that comes
naturally to, perhaps, one woman in fifty thous-
and ,Gainesborough's Duchess being an ex-
ample of it. Her hair was dark, her eyes were
very large and blue, her pretty, delicate fea-
tures, were full of spirit and expression. To
describe her in few words she was a sweet,
fearless, ,high-bred little beauty. She wore a
gray jacket and a shady hat trimmed with
large white daisies, dwas ready to smile with
a sort of angelic frankness on the Young man
as he came NJ, 10 her, amidst the ordinations
of the Old ladies'.
That delightful garden; its paths went wind
ing about among all sorts of flowers; 'mallows
and salyias and anemons, panses in varied
crowds, hedges Of sweet peas, still bright in
color, and mignonette, which filled the ali
with sweetness. While his aunt quite alive
to the situation andnervously afraid hat Mrs.
Sackyille might suspect her, was explaining
what an unexpected pleasure Edgar's arrival
was, he walked on with Lady Adela and her
dogs, through those bright and fragrant ways.
He was very agreeable; pleasant to look at
with brown eyes, good features and swee
though somewhat melancholy smile; pleasant
to ak to- for he quite hid his feelings and
argued with Lady Adela in an anable, dispas
sionate way about her flowers There was
some fun in disagreeing with her; she was SC
positive, and seemed-to delight in fightine g
small battles for her favorites. Yet she had no
concert, and when She found out that Edgar
knew more than she did, and could give her a
shTln Itet,
to look up smiling aud 10 take his opinion