The Penn's Grove record., 1884-11-15

1t was Harold Pleasby's last day at
Oxford. He had taken his degree, pad
his bills, and packed up the odds and
ends which had adorned the room, where
he had spent the better part Of a not too
industrious but merry university ca
Teer. Whilst his scout was gone to
fetch him change for a fve-pound note,
which was to enable him to give his
parting tips to porters and cads, Harold
sat down and wrote on paper embossed
with a cardinals scarlet hat these two
letters
Christ Church, Oxford.
"MY LORD,
My uncle, Mr.. John Pleasby, has
allowed me to hope that you would be
kind enough to appoint me your private
secretary if / could produce certificates
of my fitness for the post. | enclose
testimonials from the Dean and from
my college tutor ; although they can
not speak very highly of my attain
ments, they say enough of my charac-
ter to assure you, / hope, that you will
not find me uIgrateful, nor backward
In trying to deserve the honor which
you are willing to bestow on me.
hm 1Oui iOluoulP idibhAul oAAA
obliged servant, HAROLD PLEAsBY.
''To the RIGHT Hon. VIsCoUNT
HUxMoUTH, Secretary of State"
DEAR UNCLE,
Il have Just written to old Hulk
mouth as you advised but don't be-
iieve a bit that | shall get the appoint
ment, for judging from all you told me
about him, he is one of those loose old
fish who make more promises than they
intend to keep. It's very kind of you
all the same to have recommended me.
In the probable event of my services
being declined on the ground that | have
not graduated in honors, | wish you
would give me another proof of your
affection by trying to get me an easy
berth In a Government office, with a
rising salary and that kind of thing.
To tell you the truth, | shan't be sorry
If old Huxmouth throws US over. After
what you have told me of his temper,
his stinginess, and his habit of canting
homilies II have not forgotten that an
ecdote about his having been mistaken
for a Methodist parson), l expect he
and l should quarrel before | had time
to digest one of those bad dinners of
his which so much disagreed with you.
"Your a~ffectionate nephew.
"HARoLD.
$40 JOHN PLEAsBY, ESQ M. p"
The scout returned just as these let
tiers had been written, and Harold gave
him that to Lord Huxmouth to post /;
but he put the one destined to his uncle
into his own pocket. because he meant
to add a postscript by-and-by, stating
what exact sum he had had to pay for
debts, etc., on leaving Oxford : this
with q view to justlfying a demand for
u cheQue, which be had lately made
nephew he Was. Harold spent another
hour in college settling his dues /; then,
being rather pressed for time, he sent
for a hanson, jumped into it, and was
driven fast to the station with his port
manteau. The rest Of his luggage was
TO follow. The railway porters knew
Harold Pleasby, late the crack batsman
of the varsity eleven, and they hustled
forward with silver-seeking smiles, to
usher him into a compartment where
he should be alone with his cigar. Har-
old appreciated the service, for he
wanted to make up his accounts. AS
o as the train had started, he laid
out his bills on one of the carriage seats.
made a reckoning Of their totals, and
then drew out the letter to his uncle to
add hts postscript IN pencil. 1t was
lucky that nobody was IN the cOmpart-
ment with him at that moment, for he
suddenly turned red as if he were 60
Ing to have an apoplectic seizure, ex-
claiming "Wen, this Is q pretty 60 ~
and allowed the letter to fiutter out Of
his hands.
He had by mistake put the note n
tended for his uncle into the envelope
directed To Lord Huxmouth, and kept
the letter to the peer in the envelope
which now lay on the carriage floor
A pretty deDla in lite this for a young
man who, having misused his opportu-
nirles at college, had now only patron
age to rely on for the mean of earning
his bread Anybody would have been
dismayed by the bIunder; but, to do
Harold justice, he thought more of the
scrape into which he was going to drag
bis uncle than about that Into which he
had got himself. Harold had received
constant and most generous kindness
from his fathers brother, and he was
sincerely attached to him, while being
quite aware that the old gentleman had
his fOibles. Honest John Pleasby dearly
loved a lord. He was one of those men
who, eyen past the prime of life, remain
perennislly young-a dandy, a friend OF
peeresses, a popular club chatterbox,
and ali intrepid diner-out. The smiles
of society were as necessary to him as
sunshine is to a lizard ; but tine more so
to him now than ever, since he had
lately taken TO himself q young wife,
who wa ambitious Of shining In the
world. Now Lord Huxmouth, besides
beng a Cabinet Minister. was a man of
very potent social connections. and,
what u more, he ruled supreme in the
county Ror which John Pleasby sat In
Parliament. At a mere nod from him
the latter might lose his seat for Mr..
Pleasby's only r0isoa d'etre as a legisla-
tor was that he always voted straight
with Government and enjoyed the con
adsnce Of his patron. He was. unfor-