The Portland daily press., 1883-03-08
Magazine Excerpts.
a Taste of the Freight of the March Ar
gosies.
A coqUErrE's CONSCIENCE.

[Rhoda Broughton's New Story in the Continentl ]
A coQUETTE's CONSCIENCE.
"The moment is apparently not propi-
tious oue," she says, laughing, and drawi G
chair close up to her sisters knees; ''but as
my need is sore, am afraid cannot afford
better one. have come, my Belinda, to
ask favor Of you.'
"Then you may go away at once," replies
Belinda with surly decision, 'sfor l tell you,
once for all, will not grant it,
"What! refuse even before you hear what
it is9" cries the other, lifting those brows
which nature, slightly abetted, perhaps,
by pair of tweezers, has drawn in the thin
nest straight line across her wrinkeess fore
head.
"Do you think do not recognize that
well-knOwn formula?' asks Belinda severe
ly. 81 am sure that have heard it often
enough. 1t means that you expect me to
tell Professor Forth that you have every in
tention of iilting himr'
''You word it coarsely,' replies Sarah
composediy; ''but have heard worse CUES
ses''
"Then absolutely and fatty refuse the
oficev' rejoined Belinda firmly" WEY YOU
engaged yourself TO him in the first in
stance
"WHY, indeed?h interrupts the other,
casting up both eyes and hands to heaven.
ssYou may we'll askr'
Sand yet" pursues Belinda, regarding
her sister with an air of stern wonder.
"when you wrote to announce your engage
ment to ME, you said that you did not know
what you had done to deserve such happi-
nessp'
81 did not-I did notr' cries Sarah. red
| dening for once with genuine shame, and
putting her fingers before her face. s'Do
not say 1t; it is not true! It was not about
him; it was one of the othersr'
"ONE OF THE oTHERsr' echoes Belinda.
sc0rnfully curling up her fine nose. 'sHow
pleasant and digniied to be banded about
One of the othersi"
''It may not be dignlied, replies Sarah
impudently. though under the lash of her
sisters words even her throat has Grim
soned, hut it is not so very unpleasant
'You know" continues Belinda sternly,
'lnaJ look solemn oath to wash mV
| hands of your affairs last time, when [ had
that painful scene. with poor young Manners,
| and he walked round the room on his knees
after me, clutching my skirts and sob
| bingv'
"He always sobbedr' inteli iects Sarah
| fundamentally. 81 have seen him cry like
pumpv'
Il have already told six men that you had
been making fools of them,' continues the
elder sister, contemptuously passing by her
Juniors lame attempt at palliation
''Six Come now, gently"
Il repeat, six! In fact, think am rath-
er undertaking it; and acH not tell sew
enthw
s'A Seventh! p
'If yon imply that / am exaggerating, |
am quite willing to count. First' checking
off on her long white fingers beginning with
the thumb-"first, young Mannersr'
I'VE have had him once already!'
Second travelling on to the forefnger-
Colonel Green. Poor fellow! he sobbed
toor'
More shame for him p'--brazenly.
Third, the young clergyman whom YOU
PICKED up at the seaside, and whose name
never can remember"
mo more can Ir' cries Sarah with anima-
tion. 'How strangel Pooh! What was it
again9 Did it begin with B?'
FOURTH" continues Belinda relentlessly.
arriving at her third finger-''fourth, old
Lord Blucher, who was SO deaf that 1 could
not get him to understand what | meant,
But Sarah's light mind was still on the
track of her lovers losD initial
II am almost sure that it began with an
LIP she says thoughtfulIy
Notwithstanding her little finger
MFR. Braabzon.'
"You counted him before.p
81 did notp'
81 think you did,
II am sure l did not; but to make certain.
we will begin all over again. First'-re-
ners-"
,Stope' cries Sarah loudly, putting her
fingers in her ears, and abandoning tue
search for the young clergyman's name. 81
will grant that there were six, sixteen, sixty
anything to put an end to that intoerable
arithmetic of yoursr'
Belinda is preparing to begin on her other
hand, but at this concession she lets them
both drop in her lap, and ceases counting.
There is silence. Sarah's rowing eyes are
despondently fastened on the white earthen-
ware stove, and Belinda's large grave gaze
is straying through the window, taking in at
once the poetry of the blooming pear tree
and the prose of the Bohemian railway, and
the ugly straight succeed houses beyond it.
What could have been your inducement
IN tnls case" she says presently, turning
with judicial air to the offender, 81 am
quite at loss to conjecture; it certainly
could have been neither pleasure nor
proftr'
1T certainly could not" answers Sarah,
signing profoundly, and wagging her head
from side to side; "anyone who saw him
would exonerate me from the suspicion of
either motiver'
"Such conquest could not have even
gratified your vanjtyp' pursues Belinda re-
lentlessly.
f'Yes, but it didw replies Sarah, abandon
ing her dispirited pose, and speaking with
an animation which shows that she does
not altogether relish this wholesale depre-
citation of her latest victim; goa may not
think much of him, but l can assure you
that he is considered great luminary at
Oxbridge. AT the house where met him
they could not make enough OF him. it
seems he has written book upon the Di-
gammar'
And what is the Digamma?" asks Be
linda curtly, totally unmoved by this evil
dence of erudition
You do not know what the Digamma
is?' cries Sarah, lifting her eyebrows and
speaking with an air Of pompous astonish-
ment. We'll then," breaking into a laugh.
and even demeaning herself 60 far as to bs
guilty Of the faintsst possible shadow of a
wlnk, "ts tell yeu secret, no mere do Ir'