The Penn's Grove record., 1884-11-08
HENNtKER's

Nb I'll NNAha IA " VII
The said kind friends were his fellow
workers in her Majesty's office for the
regulation Of patents. With a unanim
lily that WIS positively refreshing. they
one and all declared HennikeT s down.
fall certain. No man, they affirmed,
could 90 on for long rs he had been do
ing. Flirtations with pretty actresses,
suppeI-parties, cards, and the rest were
all very nice things in their way, but,
carried TO excess, to a man of limited
income they meant ruin. Sooner or
later it would come and to Henueker
despite the fact that 'blue blood" a
in his veins, it. would come as surely as
to any n else.
But perhaps to no one did Henneker's
downfall seem more certain than to
Henneker himself, as he sat alone II
evening in his rooms in Sloane Street
Clearly he had come very nearly to the
end of his tether, and it was high time
for him to look about and see by what
means in his power he could avert the
coming blow. Looking at his relatives,
be saw no Il who could render him
any assistance. They had, it was true,
''blue blood in their veins but, he
yond that, with II exception-a rich
bachelor-uncle out somewhere i'll Aus
tralia. of whom the family had heard
nothing for years-they were as poor as
church mice. And the ''blue blood''
was hardly likely to be of much advan-
tage to him-unless in one way indeed;
he might, by reason of his social posi-
ton, marry some Il with money, and
so extricate himself from his difficulties.
The idea Of marrying for money was
distasteful to Frank Henniker. Like
most men, no matter how FAST" he
had looked forward in his inner heart
to a time in the future when he should
lind a woman who truly loved him, and
should settle d. wn into aquiet life and
be very happy and this ideal the
thought OF marrying for money dissi-
dated. That it would be possible for
him so to do he had not the slightest
doubt. Without being cOnceited, he
vet knew that he was more than tolera-
bly, good -looking, a gentleman, and pos
sessed of anner and bearing that en-
sured him, at any rate among the
Younger members Of his acquaintance,
a hearty welcome wherever he went.
But to marry for m~oney-to give up all
his sentimental ideas of finding a dispo-
sition that would be thoroughly congo
NAL to his own-to marry a girl who in
all probability would not have a single
thought or feeling in common with him
tins was indeed a bitter pill to swal-
low.
1t was however no time for namby-
pamby sentiment. Ruin was staring
him in the face, and disgrace was not so
very far behind but that he could see
the coming shadow. There could be no
doubt about it he must marry for
money. Disagreeable as the physic was.
1t must be taken and upon whom
should his choice fall?
Cogitating thus within himself, his
eye fell upon a letter in a rack above
the chimney-plece, the address of which
was written in a pretty feminine hand.
Surely here was the very thing That
same morning he had received an invi-
tatior from an exceedingly wealthy cot
ton-spinner in Manchester, to whom he
had recently had the opportunity of be-
Ing of some service in town, asking him
to spend Whitsuntide with HIM. This
cottOn-spinner was a widower, and had
an only child, a daughter. Thought
fully Henniker opened the letter, and
read it through. The contents ran thus:
''The Midlands, Didsbury, May Ia, IS.
Dear Mr.. Henniker, Papa, for
whom | am acting as secretary. wishes
to know if you viii do us the pleasure
of spending Whitsuntide here. He un-
derstood, l think, from what you said
when he was in town, that you were
not engaged for that season. If you
will let us know when and by what
train we may expect you, the carriage
shall meet you at the station. Papa
sends his kind regards and hopes you
will come.
"Believe me yours very truly.
LILY MAITLAND"
"Lily,n unused Henniker, as he laid
down the letter-''a pretty name And
it Is a nice ladylike hand she writes. |
wonder what she is likeP Just the OPP
posite of the name, l dare say-a short,
stout, awkward girl with large red hands
and tremendous feet, who bushes fear
fully whenever she is addressed and
hasn't a word to say for herself it is
not difficult to understand what the
daughter of an uncultlvated cotton
spinner, brought up under the extremely
IGLllllg lllilltlCCOI 0ldlltllISAtA 0OCAtlN.
will be like. Or perhaps she is n Of
the loud school, bold and masculine, a
perfect boy in petticoats. There's some
thing rather free and easy about the let
ter, now | come to think of it, though
it is written so nicely. However, as |
have decided that she is to be my future
wife, 1t is scarcely wise to pull her to
pieces. I'm in for the race now, and it
would only be the act of a very foolish
man to depreciate the prize - and, pull
hing a writing a S towards him, he
hastily wrote an acceptance of Mr.,
Maitland's kind invitation, promising
to be in Manchester on the day but one
afterwards.
1t was with no very pleasant feelings
that Frank Henniker travelled down
from Euston on the day appointed. The
TACT was, he felt somewhat disguised
with himself for the eTrand on which
be was bound. He could not disguise
from himself that this going down to
Manchester with the fixed intention of
marrying a girl for her money was eX-
tremely mean, sordid, and wrong. But
then what was he to dor A drowning
man cannot afford to be scrupulous as
To the nature of the log that saves him.
If he disllked his present work now, he
ought to have taken care that his past
life should not have rendered it neces-
sary. Although he felt very much ''out
of sorts" and the only reflection from
which he could derive any consolation
was that probably the girl was ill-bred
and vulgar and would only be too
pleased to barter all the money she had
for a refined and highly.eOnnected hus-
band, leaving all love between them out
Of the question.
When be arrived at the London-road