New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-09
CHAPTER XIV.
IHEIUEN To LONDON.

Well sure enough, Florence was carried of 10
! Scotland next day by her papa and Aunt Damaris :;
with them went Emily. and Clifton Lodge was left
i'm charge of the butler and the hOusckeeper Never
| did pass such a night ~ that which preceded my
| dar!ng's departure. Sleep! bless your heart alRc,
/ mates never in an all night job at sea, bending
! brand-ncw canvas amid a whirling darkness OF
| spnme and yapor, in the room of the shreds which
strcamed from hanks and jack stays aud boltropes
reducing sail bit by bit heaving to- standing by for
those quarterback ycllls which wcro never long in
coming. was wider awake. over and over again
! | made up my mind To follow her next day-t0 hang
| about the station until she and the Others arrived
aud then lump into the train with them; and only
succeeded in dssuadlng myself from that suicidal
! project by vowng that would be up and away for
the North the instant Sophie was able 10 tell me IN
| what part of Scotland old Hawke had come 10 n
| stand ! must have lighted aud eXtiuguishcd my
candle n dozen times that night for would bundle
out Of the sheets and walk about the bedroom, read
ing Florrnccs letter to Sophie and looking at her
! likeness and then roll into bed again and put ont
the light In tho hope of falling asleep and after
ward turn TO and have another scratch at the luci-
fcr-box TO satisfy some doubt by taking fresh
s1unt at the letter and and until the
sun arose aud the blessed dicky birds chirpcd.
The only crumb Of comfort | could find lay in
Wlidt my uuNlt Hdu AuRB'hl'h- Nh' i'N'Ni W
Sophie was really meant for me. | was in her
thoughts when she wrote. rs the postscript proved.
Ne il was for whom the of her going to Scot
land was intended. That reference TO her being
under Aunt Damars's wing was to let me know
why she had given no chance Of seeing her. And
what was the postscript. but like asking me II
meant to forget her because her papa was taking
her awayi Forget her as Ofton rs | read that
sweet F. g., often would kiss her likeness and
desire here TO make my compliments to the French
gentleman who photographed her, on the lndclIbil-
iiy OF his printing; for had the portrait been an
chaceablo thing, was bound to have kissed away
every trace Of my pets face and figure, ay as com
pletoly shower of rain takes the curl out Oh u
but oh! in spite of her letter. in spite of the en-
couragcment ! found in IT, the prospect or her an
scncc the cooling effect that might be produced IN
her by my being out of sight. the possibility of
Young MorecOmbe forming one of the party. the re-
suit Of the formidable influence which wonId now
be- cxcrted, by the combined powers OF AIph3ns"
and Dauiaris Hawke, rendered contemplation aDSo-
utely hideous. | was harasscd by IN sglving as
heavy as preScntiment that this was the nISt OF
old Hawkes. steps, and that the next W0nid carry
him and Florence ont of tho United Kingdom,
leagues beyond the reach Of my slender purse No
doubt IN time the old fellow would return! ana
bring his daughter with him; but suppose .NoIo-
combc accompanied them, and Florence, sick OF
travelling and worried by her aunt and her papa.
consented to marry him? Or suppose in their jour
ncys they met some agreeable young man. whou
shove me overheard out of Florcnces heart Ut
suppose that travel enlarged her mind to Such an
extent as to make her admit 10 her father. that
though she declined 10 marry Morcc0mbe she now
saw that no was right In his notion that young
seafarng chap on n small income, without prospects
or occupation, not. after all. quite up To the
mark ~ n match for a young lady who was q beauty
and would have a fortune!
But il is "a mistake To suppose Hail tue misery OF
life lies in It, They have good saying NJ sea
suppose your aunt had whskerS, what a very
rum uncle she would maker
Well my lads the Hawke family went to Scot
land that day knew they were gone, by taxing
walk In the afternoon past Clifton Lodge, ana OD-
serving that the blinds were down Us though some
body lay dead in the house.
However before a week had passed discovered,
now that Florence was three four hundred miles
distant that my Bristol lodgings were altogether
too small and dull to be toerable. Mrs. Chninp De-
came an cyesOre the prospect over the way a NOR
was tired OF Bristol City, and though could nave |
spent another month or two very happily at my
unce's house, where the evenings were always |
cheerful and the days full of business OF driving
and riding and dining, and so forth yet as ala NOT
choose To return heartily welcome as l knew
should be, made up my mind to go TO London |
and await news of Florence from Sophie; for IN |
London could make time fly faster than ever
could drive il in the country and all desired now
WAS to get rid of the weeks during which lorenoo
was to DC absent from Clifton. announced my IN |
were all together. They tried hard to persuade mo
TO return TO them. but l was firm, was consclehc
tious was highly moral No, IL was question OF |
delicacy desired that Mr.. Hawke might fully I'M |
derstand that my aunt and her family had no snare
i'm tile cOurtsh D / had undertaken apd wit4 many |
thanks, therefore, declined to be their guest.
II won't call 20, swab again, Jack. bc'sSS YOU