The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-04-05

act escort to her?-it was such plea
sure to him, poor fellow !! And as there
wasn't single soul left to see them,
what harm could there be?
Notwithstanding, the lady never lost
sight of propriety-Garden was always
near enough for her to be able to say,
1--WE my maid with me-
Now it happened that on the pre-
vious evening Teddy had shown visible
signs of becoming unruly. He didn't
see why he should be sent away. Why
could he not stop-stop and have din
ner with her?
"Why? Because, in the first place,
it wouldn't do and in the second-1
forgot though" she said "being man
| ought to have reversed the order
there's nothing to give you"
That don't matter" said Teddy
heroically-"I don't care what I eat"
ooh, don't you! but l do-you
might be wanting to eat me-
Teddy threw a look intended to con-
vey that he could conceive no more
delicious morsel.
There, there, say good-by and go
away, don' she cried. Teddy was
forced to obey her command that he
should take his departure.
81 must take care not to let that boy
go too far" Nina reflected when he had
gone.
Her face softened with smile that
fitted across it as she assured herself
that ten minutes with Rowley would
make her forget the very existence of
Teddy. Poor infatuated boy!
Possibly Mrs. Dacre's velvety brown
eyes would have opened a trihe wider
could she have followed the footsteps
of her devoted admirer. Teddy, wise
in his generation, made the provision
of a consolation a matter of principle.
Matters turned out as he promised and
he only picked up his grievance against
Nina the next day when he was urging
her that they should go to his rooms and
have tea.
After that the question of the tea
became 4 question of who should be
Conqueror.
"lf l give in again, I'll be hanged"
said Teddy to himself, and he brought
to bear the various resources he was
master of with such effect that Nina
was fairly beaten, and confessed to her
self that it served her right-'he's
been allowed to go too far, and this is
the upshot of it.
She made these reflections, however,
with face that told no tales, stepped
into hanson with pretty air of being
overruled by will stronger than her
own, and olny insisted ON keeping up
her ungainly-sized parasol because the
sun in ones eyes is SO disagreeable."
Now, as chance would have it, in
stead of fishing in the country, Cap
tain Rowley Dacres was spending that
day id London. Circumstances had
brought him to town early in the morn
ing but, to his discredit do tell it, he
hated shopping, and hadn't Nina told
him in every letter she sent that she
was with the dressmaker every hour of
the day? During those few months
they were engaged, what purgatory
he had gone through. He was lover
then-he was husband now, and he
whistled the air Of a popular tune
known by the name of "Not for Joe.'
The first few bars had but just es-
capped him, when who should he STUN
BILE across but an old chum, Nick Walcot,
who gave mysterious wink of his eye
saying, "all right old fellow, Pm going
somewhere, and I'll take vou.''
The somewhere proved to be small
bijou residence in the neighborhood of
Thurloe Square and, arrived at the
door, it suddenly struck Rowley who
lived there.
"Oh, come, l say" he began, draw
ing back step or two. 81 don't halt
think this'll do. I'm married now,
you see, and I've given up this sort Of
society,""
Nick looked at him with an air of
injured surprise.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"1here's nothing against Miss Fisher
that | know Of" Rowley fastened to
disabuse any prejudice against Miss
Fisher. "Only, don't you know, wo-
men get an idea, and though my little
wife's the best in the world, if she got
scent that I'd been lunching with an
actress instead of going straight of, to
her, there'd be the very duce to pay"
"Fiddle de dee besides, how is she
to know who's to tell her?" And
before there was time to answer, Wig
orous pull was given to the bell.
"Confound this fellow; wish I'd
gone straight off to Nina. What fool
l am ~ These were the reflections of
Captain Dacres.
Good gracious on me- Captain
Dacres," said Miss Fisher, "what a
time it is since I've seen you, TO be
sure | took it for granted you were
dead.'
dead y repeated Nick Walcot.
"Why, he's married didn't you know P"
''Oh, it's about the same to me-"
laughed the lady, and then she called
"Doady say, come in here--there's a
surprise for you"
And in answer to the summons a
young lady appeared who threw her