Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-11-02


sMammas 1 cannot promise" saia
Bertha, flushing painfully. II do not
believe anything against him. Mr..
Wei, my dear, you are quite right
TO consider Mr.. Douglas" allowed the
prudent mother; land when you are in
a house OF your own you can invite
whom you please. By-the-bye. nv love.
don't YOU think ii would be very nice
plan IL Mr.. Douglas were 70 take this
house of my hands when Lena mar
riesyn she continued more cheerfully.
laying down her fan. ~ am thinking
Of going into apartments at the West
End, where / shall be nearer Maqnus
Square. Mr.. Douglass income is not
very large. He probably won't want TO
launch out at first. / should think such
house as this might just suit him."
al don't think Mr.. Douglas has any
idea Of taking house at all. mamma
Bertha stammered. in some confusion.
"Mr. Douglas is going away"
"Going awaypn exclaimed Mrs. Dal-
ton, growing very red in the face again.
"GOing away without proposing?
have never heard of anything so dis
honorable, after all the attention he
has paid you. / am afraid it is your
own fault, Bertha: you have played
your cards badly
~ have played no cards at all, NAM
ma" said Bertha, greatly vexed. She
had no intention Of revealing what had
taken place that afternoon : neither
Douglass declaration to herself nor his
warning against Fancourt. That she
was well aware would be utterly useless
until there was some basis to go upon.
He can't go away So" decided Mrs.
Dalton, after a few minutes thought.
"It's ridiculous. shall write and ask
| him to dinner"
"Pray do not, mamma" Bertha en-
treated. "Mr. Douglas and perfectly
understand each other, if that is what
you are thinking of. We shall never
be more to each other than good
| friends"
well, 1 must say there never was a
mother treated as am" Mrs. Dalton
lamented, drawing out her cambria
handkerchief. Here have been PLAN
ming night and day for your comfOrta-
| about being nothing but friendSl It's
really enough to drive one Wild 1 am
quite sure that with little encourage
| NIL L(OuSlao WOuIu lltNC opOhOlii
and what better can you look for? 1t
isn't likely you can make great match
like your sister. 1t won't do now, with
our new connections, for you to be
teacher. What is to become of you
don't know; and all might have been
settled so happily"
| Mrs. Dalton melted into tears as she
contemplated the failure of part of her
scheme. Bertha stood pale and silent,
feeling rather guilty; but she had no
thought of giving way.
| Don't be anxious about my future,
mamma" she said at last. II am sorry
l cannot act as you wish, but l need
not be burden upon you. Sir Stephen
| and Lady Langley, when we were at
their house in the spring, asked me to
| go and live with them as their daugh-
ter. declined then, because / thought
you could not spare me; but am sure,
they, want me to CO., Sir Stephen said
he should speak to you about it this
| autumn" ''6"
| Mrs. Dalton wiped her eyes her brow
| cleared. t'
81 would much rather have seen you
in house of your own at once" she
said, with sigh; shut Sir Stephen and
Lady Langley move in the best society,
and you may have a chance with them,
perhaps, if you only put away your
silly, romantic notions" I" g'u.
Bertha made no reply--she was only
too glad to let the subject drop. In or
der to avoid any fresh discussion of
such topics, she invited her mothers
attention to what she had been doing
for Lena that afternoon, and Mrs. Dal,
ton, once more absorbed in the all-im-
portant subject of the tr0Asseau, forgot
for the time being her disappointment
in Douglas and her, adverse Intentions
toward st. Lawrence. A.