The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-11-12

| All the pupils were dismissed but one.
| The spelling lesson, the lesson in ge-
ography, the lesson in history, followed
each other. All the week days were his.
Poor Miss Piper had no power to say
him nay. He paid well, he treated her
with actual reverence; but the last pu-
pill went when he elected to copy some
very fiat " flower pieces" which Miss
Piper had executed in early youth, and
call this lesson in painting. He had
all her week days at last. He certainly
| had improved in pronunciation, but
Miss Piper felt herself to be a humbug.
What they really did was to spend
the day together exactly as he chose.
| Playing with educational books, thump-
ing the piano, daubing Bristol board
| with impossible flowers, scrambling
through the lesson in French, of which
Miss Piper had had quarter from
Swiss gentleman.
For a long time she was alone, on
| Sunday, and usually went to the Metho-
| dist church, to which she belonged;
but Mr.. Sliger soon altered that. He
began by asking her whether they had
" these vespers' of hers at the cathe-
| dral on Sunday morning. And when
| SliN lllSll llllll lllhb NtSDCIo
were in the latter part of the day, he
said that he would call for her.
| Accordingly she went to vespers at
the cathedral in the afternoon, and
after that, regularly three times day
| to different churches.
1t was then that the landlady thought
it her duty to call.
She appeared in Miss Pandora Piper's
apartment at the awful hour of ten
O'Clock at night, majestic in her crimp-
ing pins, and with very serious counte-
nance, but she was welcomed in with
smile by the little music teacher.
Good evening, Mrs. Grimm" said
she; " haven't had call from you for
a very long while"
"No, Mrs. Piper, you haven't" said
Mrs. Grimm, with much emphasis.
g But you would not expect me to call
after such carvings on.'
"Why, what do you mean, Mrs.
Grimm" calculated Miss Piper.
"Can you ask, Pandora Piper?" an
swered the landlady in her deepest
chest-note. "The whole neighborhood
is talking about you!n
"About me!' screamed Miss Piper.
" You and that man, answered the
landlady.
"My pupil, Mr.. Sliger?' sobbed Miss
Piper, now fairly in tears.
"Your pupil? Don't tell me!' said
Mrs. Grimm. "Miss Pandora Piper, l
shall be obliged to put up a bill for my
second floor. You've got to go!''
| ooh, oh, OH" cried Pandora. "Can
you think any harm of me? Why, you
could come in at any moment. Nora is
in and out every now and then. Such
a respectable elderly gentleman, and
such correct person as | amp
Z" 1t isn't me, Pandora" said Mrs.
Grimm, quite melted, d" it's the neigh
borhood. The church-going Gf it is
church) finished 'em. You're of age
this long while, my dear; you ought to
know how to behave; but l can't coun-
tenance this. l shall put up the bill.
Oh, oh, oh, Pandora! that it should
come to this?"
| Poor Miss Pandora!
As her friend and landladv walked
out of the door, with her handkerchief
to her eyes, she stood motionless, as
though turned to pillar of salt.
She saw just how this repair of neg
lected education must appear to her
small circle of discarded pupils, and
felt strong desire to drown herself or
jump out of the window, or turn on the
gas, or take box of matches in her
tea, and she might actually, it seemed
to her afterwards. have died of mortifi-
cation, but that the gong at the front
door, pulled violently at this moment,
startled her, and Nora, running up,
wrapped in waterproof cloak, for she
had been making preparations to go to
bed, announced:
" Mr.. Sliger!"
He can't come up" said Pandora,
Z" at this hour of the night"
"No, Miss; he asks for you to come
down." said Nora.
Pandora went down.
Mr. Sliger was at the door.
"There's telescope at the corner"
he said; " something going on in some
star or other, l believe. Get a bonnet
and shawl, and come and have peep
1t will be a lesson in astronomy for me-
You can explain it, you know-same
terms as the other lessons.'
Pandora obeyed without a word.
The door closed after the two, leav-
ing Mrs. Grimm staring at Nora.
| L Hat > lllc CdpSuctl! sdlu MIS-.
Grimm.
"Shall 1 sit up for them?" asked
Nora.
"No," said Mrs. Grimm, 81 will"
Meanwhile Miss Piper and Mr.. Sliger
peeped through the telescope and saw
the rings of Saturn, which Mr.. Sliger
supposed to be phenomenal and tempo
rary, and which were explained by
Miss Pandora to be fixtures, and
then adjourned to an ice cream saloon
of much elegance.
"This, indeed, is desperate dissipa-
ton" Miss Pandora said to herself, as
she sat before the cut-glass goblets on
the damask cloth, and saw the water
splash from the little fountain in the
center, into the aquarium, and over the
glossy plants, all reflected in the long
mirrors. However, what did il matter?
She was already "talked about, -
turned out of her lodgings as person
who had gone wrong. She would keep
this merry moment to remember when
she had put an end to all of this by
saying to the neglected pupil that she
could no longer impart instruction to
him.
He was ordering every indigestible
luxury on the bill of fare, the diamond
on his little finger flashing like a small