The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-03-24
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
"My dear Leslie, this is q surprise
and q pleasure How are you? When
did you get back ?" and George Leslie
found his hand grasped by portly,
comfortable-looking gentleman in gold
trimmed glasses and wideawake hat.
IL beg your pardon, 1 DON'T
can't quite recall you, though seem to
remember your voice." George STAN
mered.
The portly gentleman laughed. "Well,
you're more changed than am, I dare
say, and yet l knew you in moment.
Is it possible that you have forgotten"
Beauclere? Why, of course how
stupid of me r and Georges face grew
very curious brick color as he wrung
his old friends hand. "Pve been away
five years, Mark, and it tells on all Of
u.s."
81 wish it told such fattering tale
CD me as it does on you," Mark said,
with smile. "Come and dine with
me, old fellow-no excuses-it won t put
us out in the least. Mrs. Beauclere is
at Brighton with Miss Armstrong, SO
I'm en- garcOn. We live at Putney.
Jump in" as bus came up" and
tell me all about your adventures, and
when you returned"
4" only landed three days ago, and I
haven't had any adventures except Of
the most commonplace kind. The bust
ness | 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. Beauclere %
"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
man to matrimony."
Lucky fellow wish I had gone
there with you"
George was silent-it seemed like
treason to echo the wish. It was just
like the monster Mark, ever to express
it. OF course he made poor Lucy miser-
able, that was only to be expected. How
he ever could have become so supremely
dull and commonplace George 1 couldn't
imagine. When he entered the drawing
room he couldn't help noticing little evi-
dences of Lucy about /; her old-fashioned
work-table--a black cat, which he
seemed dimly to books,
and drawing or two. His heart beat
little quickly; and on the whole he
was glad that he had not to meet her on
the first evening. "Does Miss Arm
strong always live with you ?" he asked
presently.
eyes, of course where else could she
live? Indeed, don't know in the least
how the house would get on without her.
You see, my wife and 1 go in for politics
and literature, and that sort Of thing !:
and if we hadn't some one to keep us in
order and see to our creature comforts,
I'm afraid we'd starve. If ever you do
marry, George, don't select a clever
woman with taste for logic and meta.
physics" Mark whispered, looking
round cautiously. "It's simply aw-
full ["
81 never fancied Mrs. Beauclere would
develop a taste for those subjects" George
replied and then he smiled little sadly
as he thought of Lucy as blue-stock-
ing, and Aunt Hester, who had always
been his special horror, whisking about
the house, upsetting the domestic COM
fort of every one, and waving her hands,
in command or disapproval, unceas-
ingly.
" I never could stand it, know" he
said to himself, as Mark went on giving
him some details of the establishment,
with q sort of rueful good humor. CA
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 esthet-
ic; indeed, his chief idea in life seemed
to be thorough enjoyment of such pleas
ures as remained to him. He enjoyed
his dinner, for instance, thoroughly,
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 West
water, and the pleasant evenings they
used to have at "The Nest" "Do YOU
know, thought once that you had rath-
er fancy for Lucy?"
George grew brick-red again, and
bent his eyes resolutely on the table.
1t would have been capital thing
for you; and believed she liked Won
for she seemed altogether out of sorts
when she got your letter. In fact
George, you might have done much
worse than to 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 I"
George looked up with sudden angry
fash, then he grew quite white. Mark
was not chatting in the least, he felt
that; still he could not take it all IN at
once.