Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-10

"Tbat Is y luxury in which we don't In
dulge-do we, Aggy? We arrange our
toilets ourselves, and very effective they
are sometimes, eh?'
Lady Best looked again at this COM
panion of whom she had never heard
before. No, decidedly; ifshe had known
OF her existence she would not have
asked Hannah to the Cottage. For
Agatha was beautiful, Of that refined
spiritualised beauty about which poets
rave.
For an indefinite period she had in
vited Hannah, and this companion, this
Agatha, was she also to be their daily
associates for weeksw
The meeting with Author, however,
could not be deferred, and Lady Best
led the way into the drawing room.
He was as cordially as 1t was In his
nature to be In his reception OF his cou-
sin, but when the same formula OF In.
PRODUCTION with which Lady Best had
been greeted was gone through, and
Agatha, dragged forward by her ener-
getic friend, stood before him, with the
pale CLEAN of the rising moonlight on
her face, he started back as though ne
bad seen o spectre, more in fear than
admiration, as it seemed to his anxious
Watching mother.
+ There Is ao time, however, for specu-
lation as...to what feelings Agatha had
awakened In Arthur's breast; the neces-
stiles were asserting themselves and
Hannah in her blunt way declared her
selfto be furnishing.
"a rapid toilet and dinner. Come on,
Agatha, we shall not keep Lady Best
long" and the two girls went quickly
up INTO the rooms that had been pre-
pared for them.
In less than quarter Of an hour they
came back, looking as spic and-span as
ifthey had made no long journey. 1t
was very obvious that the services OF q
maid were unnecessary.
The eI eDiDg, however, was scarcely
merry one. Arthur was more than
Usually silent and meditative, Agatha
very tired; she was not 80 robust Is
Hannah, who was the only lively one
the party, and chatted ceaselessly to
Lady Best, who, for once In her life,
was not q good listener. All her atten.
ton was riveted on "that young per-
son," as she already, in her mind, des.
ignated the somewhat lackadaisical
Agatha.
Hannah was very full of the project
ed dairy reforms. She loved everything
that gave her practical tendencies full
vent; but Lady Best was by no means
as keen as she was.
awhile they were reforming what
would Arthur and this beautiful Agatha
be doing?" she asked herself. "Oh, If
Hannah would only turn her full stten-
ton on the far more important work OF
reforming Arthur .
Lady Best was, however, too much OF
a diplOmatist to let her thoughts appear
in words; no, she must act, maneuyre,
watch.
OF course the first thing next morning
Hannah expressed wish to go over the
farm, and accompanied by Agatha,
she and Lady Best started on tour OF
inspection. Arthur had seen the farm
dd rd1tsCtJn he said, and it did not
amuse him; he preferred remaining In
the house till luncheon-time.
With the explanations and discus
sions which this farming pilgrimage
entailed, Lady Best's spirits rose, and
She became thoroughly absorbed in her
subject, rejoicing that she had found so
congenial companion aud able CO.
worker as Hannah. On sudden, how
ever, her spirits fell to zarO-ASatha
had disappeared. "Of course she had
gone to JOIN Arthur; it was a precoR.
certed plan between Them" and the
mother as she thought Of it became per-
6ectly miserable.
No more talk about gallons Of milk,
London market, home consumption,
&c. She was tired, she said, aud IL
IL l. ra.
turn TO the house. They reached the
bottom Of the garden, which lay III
fIont Of the drawing room windows,
just as Agatha, accompanied by Ar
thur, strolled up the terrace towards the
wood.
The sight was past bearing; this then
Sas TO be the end of all her loving care
q Arthur; he was to marry Hannah
,epDiless companion. Nor did Han.
ais remark, IS she, too, perceived
hem, tend to calm the excited moth
rs fears.
"Oh! they are going to have little
thnt. l told Aggy the sooner it was
over the better"
"A chat with my son? Has this
his Miss Burghley met Arthur be-
GOreT"
Hannah laughed. "Did you not
know? On! then l must not tell the
-ecrets of the priSOn-hOuse. But pray
.ion't look so rueful, aunty mine. The
.,rret Is not Of very dreadful nature"
LADY Best was, however, by no
nssps comforted by this intelligence.
Arthur had been carrying on with this
girl unknown to her, and hence the
reason Of his detection and listlessness.
Of course the neighbors were right; love
VAS the root Of the evil. And to think
of the little mink forcing herselfin here
under Hannsh's auspices. Oil 1t was
too bad-veIy much too bad; she had
been treated shamefullyw
And her heart too full to speak with
out committing herself, which pride
prevented when she remember that
ceive her, she went indoors, up into her
own room, Of which she locked the
door, and then INDUCED in the luxury
Of a tempestuous burst of tears.
For more than an hour she remained
there. sObbipg and composing herself
by turns, till at last she heard voices
under the window. Carefully conceal
ing herself, she peeped from behind the
cur tain.
There they were, all three talking and
laughing, a Evoke up" look on Arthur's
face which she had not seen there for
months.
II was strange, very strange; and as
she stood and watched them she could
not make up her mind whether she had
or had not made q mistake in asking
these people to come. After all, II his
love for Agatha saved Arthur from de-
spondescy and made man OF him, she
ought to consider her object gained.
Anyway, she made up her mind to be
silent for the present and take notes;
and so deciding, she washed her face,
smoothed her silvering hair, set her cap
daintily on her head and went down.
stairs, where the luncheon was decided
.ly far more CHEEKY than the dinner had
been on the previous evening.
And the days passed on-life at the
Cottage seemed very bright to sill but its
mistress, who could not reconcile her
self to the fact that she had been de-
ceived; not even though it gladdened
her heart to hear Arthur laughing MEL
rily, as he sometimes did at his cousins
sallles, or to see him take an interest he
nayor took hafnra In the farm and fra