The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-03-17

and q drawing or two. His heart beat
a 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 2" he asked
presently.
"Yes, Of course where else could she
liver Indeed, don't know in the least
how the house would get on without her.
You sec, my wife and 1 60 in for politics
and literature, and that sort of thing
and il We hadn't some one to keep us in
order and SEQ to our creature comforts,
I'm afraid we'd starve. II ever you do
marry, George, don't select Q 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
rs 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.
81 never could stand it, know" he
said to himself. as Mark went on giving
him some details of the establishment,
with u sort of rueful good humor. ga
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
his dinner, for instance, thoroughly,
and grew quite confidential over his
coffee after.
1t was very sudden, your going
away, George" he remarked, after a
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 I believed she liked you,
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"
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.
" believe it's entirely on your &C
count she has remained SINGLE" Mark
continued, with good-natured garrulity,
in spite of all her aunt's efforts to get
her well married"
"Did you say Mrs. Beauclere was
staying at Brighton ?" George presently
asked, in very meek voice; "because L
thought of running down there for few
days. Will you come, Mark?"
"No, thank you" with droll shrug.
"My wife and Lucy are staying 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 Z?
1t was all dreadful mistake from first
to last F.! 1 thought it was you Mark
wanted to marry and, when he told me
that evening that he had proposed and
been accepted. l was frantic Aunt
Hester never once entered my head"
Lucy's reply was a little unintelligi-
BILE, but after time they managed to
understand each other. Miss Armstrong
could not long resist lover who had
been faithful to her for five years, even
when he believed her lost to him for
ever and George resolved to marry her
out of hand, so that there should be no
more misunderstanding. Sometimes
Mark Beauclere CHATS them both lit
tie about Georges mistake; but he al
ways boldly asserts that the great mis-
take was Marks after all.