Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-27


again alter an interval equally brief, be-
fore Percival Theory arrived with Mrs.
Percival from Rome. HIS seemed anxious
to crowd into these few days, as he would
have said, good deal ofiatercourse with
the two remarkably nice girls-or nice
women, he hardly knew which to call
them-whem in the course of a long, idle,
rather tedious detention a. Naples, he had
discovered in the lovely suburb of Pc
silippo. 1t was the American Consul who
had put him into relation with them; the
sisters had had to sign in, The ConsuPs
presence some law papers, transmitted to
them by the man Of business who looked
after their little property in America, and
the kindly functionary, taking advantage
of the preteXt Capt Kenyon. happened to
come into the consulate as he was start.
ing, indulgently, to wait upon the ladies
20 bring together ''two parties who, as
he said, ought to appreciate each other,
Proposed to his fellow officer in the SER
vice of the United States that he should
60 with him as witness Of the little cere.
mony. He might, Of course, take his
clerk, but the Captain would do much
better; and be represented to Benyoz that
the Miss Theories (singular name,
want it!) suffered - he was
sRTe-from a lack of society; also
that one of them was very sick, that
they were real pleasant and eXtraOrdina-
rily refined, and that the sight of a COM
patriot, literally draped, as it were, in the
national banner, would cheer them up
more than most anything, and give them
a sense Of protection. They had talked to
tbe Consul about Benyon's ship, which
they could see from their windows in the
distance at its anchorage. They were the
only American ladies then at Naples--tbe
only residents, at least, and the Captain
wouldn't be doing the polite thing unless
he went to pay them his respects. BenyOn
felt afresh hoW little it was his line to call
upon strange women; he was not in the
habit Of hunting up female acquaintance,
or of looking out for the soft emotions
which the sex only can inspire. He had
his reasons for This abstention, and he sell
dom relaxed it; but the Consul appealed
to him on rather strong grounds, and he
suffered himself to be persuaded. He
was far from Repeating, during the first
weeks at least, an act which was distinct
ly inconsistent with his great rule-that
of never exposing himself to the chance of
seriously caring Tor an unmarried woman.
He had been obliged 20 make this rule,
and had adhered to It with some success.
He was fond of women, but he was forced
TO restrict himself to superficial senti-
Hents. There was no use tumbling into
from which the only possible
issue was a retreat. The step he had
taken with regard TO poor Miss Theory
and heE delightful little sister was an eX-
ception on which at first he could only
himself. That had been a
happy idea Ct the Illuminating old Consul;
it made Capt. BenyOn forgive him his hat,
his boots, his shirt front, a costume
which might be considered representative,
and the effect of which was to m Ike the
observer turn with rapture to a half
naked lazzarone. On either side the ac-
quaintance had helped the time to pass,
and the hours he spent at the little pension
at Posilippo left sweet-and by no means
nnutritiye-taste behind.
AS the weeks went by his exception had
grown to look a good deal like rule; but
be was able to remind himself that the
path of retreat was always open to him.
Moreover, if he should tall in love with
The younger girl there would be no great
harm, for Kate Theory was in love with
ler sister, and it would matter very little
10 her whether he advanced or retreated.
She was very attractive, or rather, she
was very attracting. Small, pale, atten-
i've. without rigidity, full of pretty
curves and quick movements, she looked
Is if the habit Of watching and serving
had taken complete possession of her, and
vas ,,,t,orally little sister of charity. Her
nick black han was pushed behind her
.ars. as if to help her to listen, and her
clear brown eyes had the smile of per-
son too full of tact to carry a dull face to
1 sick bed.
She spoke in an encouraging voice, and
lad soothing and unselfish habits. She
vas very pretty-producing a cheerful eff
ect of cOntrasted black and white, and
lressed herself dantily, so that Mildred
night have something agreeable to look
1t. BenyOn very soon perceived that
here was a fund of good service in her.
Her sister had it all now; but poor Miss
would become Of this precious little force!
The answer to such a question that
seemed most to the point was that it was
zone of his business. He was not sick
It least not physically, and he was not
ooking out for nurse. Such c0mpan-
on might be luxury, but was not, as
ret, a necessity. The welcome of the two
aides, at first, had been simple, and he
knew what to call it but sweet; a
FRIGHT, gentle friendliness remained the
one Ct their greeting. They evidently
liked him to come-they liked to see his
zig transatlantic ship hover about those
sleaming coasts of exile. The fact OF
Hiss Mildred being always stretched on
Ter couch-in his successive visits to for
ign waters Benyon had not unlearned as
yhv should he?) the pleasant American
labit of using the lady's personal name
made their intimacy seem greater, their
differences less: it was as if his hostesses
lad taken him into their confidence and
le had been-as the Consul would have
aid-of the same party. Knocking about
he salt parts of the globe, with few feet
iuuare on a rolling frigate for his only
home, the pretty, flower-decked sitting
Dom of the quiet American sisters be-
zane. more than anything he had hither-
o known, his interior. He had dreamed
nee of having an interior, but the dream
lad vanished in lurid smoke, and no such
risiOn had come to him again. He had
ceiling that the end of this was drawing
Ugh; he was sure that the advent of the
trange brother, whose wife was certain
o be disagreeable, would make a differ
nee. That is why, as l have said, he
anne as often as possible the last week,
Lfter he had learned the day on which
oercival Theory would arrive. The limits
# the exception had been reached.
He had been new to the young ladies at
oosilippo, and there was no reason why
hey should say to each other thai ne was
very different man from the ingenious
routh who, ten years before, used to wan
= =" Gnnr0ina Gressie down yistas Of
,Iank fences brushed over with the adj
rertisements of quack medicines; II was
natural he should be, and we, VINO know
i'm. would have found that he had IRA
rersed the whole scale of ALTERATION.
There was nothing ingenuousi him now;
ne had the look of experience, OF having
been seasoned and hardened by the years
His face, his complexion, were, the same:
tin smooth-shaven and slim, he always
passed. at first, for man scarcely out of
MS twenties. But his expression was
I'D. and his talk was older stilI-the talk
Of man who had seer much of the
world { as indeed he mad, today, and
Judged most things for himself, with
humorous skepticism which, whatever
cor cessIons it might make, specifically,
for the sake Of not offending for instance
two remarkably nice American women,
who had kept most of their illusions, LETT
Won with the conviction that the next
minute it would 90 quickly back 10 It's
own standpoint. There was a curious con-
fradiction in him; he struck you as serl-
ons' and vet he could not be said to take
things seriously. This was what mace
Kate Theory feel so sure that he had lost
fine object Of his affections; and she SAID
- t-.SoIf +l,af II fO11ct have been under