Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-11-11

Campion, coming forward to meet him, re-
ceived a more than usually fatuous smile.
Kerr, looking at her with some curiosity,
saw small woman dressed in brilliant col
lors, wearing on her bosom and head num-
ming-birds instead of flowers. Her dark
bl1e eyes, set too near together, and her
faxen, finely crimped hair, drawn up over
a cushion and slightly powdered, gave her
a touch of eccentricity not altogether un-
becoming. She held out her right hand to
Kerr and at the same time gave Llnburn
her left.
Dear Lawrence" she said to the latter,
"when will you learn punctuality? Mr..
Campion has been using horrible language!
| think for your sins you shall go and cool
him down."
Kerr began to apologize.
81 am sure you are not to blame" SAID
Mrs. Campion sweetly, inwardly admlrlng
his "masculine beauty" as she termed it.
"I know Lal of old He has never kept an
appointment yet"
| sTry me-" murmured Linburn 81
swear would move Heaven and earth to
keep it.''
'The best thing to move would be your
looking glass;" said the lady 81 never
knew such Narcissus. When you are my
age you will not be so fond of 1T
If Mrs. Campion really disliked her mir
ror it struck Kerr that she must neverthe-
less take good deal of penitential dicipline
at it, for the general perfection of her ''get-
up'' indicated the expenditure of as much
time and thought as writer in one of the
quarterlies gives the to preparation of his
article in the British Museum.
81 think you know every one here, Lal,
said Mrs. Canpion, Sand shan't introduce
Mr.. Kerr, because it is such waste of time
I'll just give him geographic sketch of
everybody, and then he'll feel quite one of US
That is Scheonbein in the velvet coat and
knee breeches Whether his stockings
suggested his name or his name his
stockings I am unable to inform
you. He and Mr.. Linburn hate each other.
He considers Lals books a plagiarism of
his paintings, and Lal considers the paint
ings plagiarism of the books. Both are
equally unintelligible until personally ex-
planned by the authors. The lady talking
to Mr. Campion is Mrs Highbury Banks,
and very much regret be did not meet her
before he met me. The little golden lady
on the sofa is my dearest friend, Mimi
Webster. I am going to ask you to take her
in to dinner. Mr.. Kerr. / should like very
much to keep you for myself, but must go
down with Mr.. Webster-he is such a bear
if do not take him in hand. The two
little innocents sitting on the sofa are two
of my girls"-here she looked at Linburn
and they both laughed (''my girls were
she talked Of them so frequently, yet sup
pressed them so effectually y)-'and the lady
standing by them is their governess,
Mile. Leceur. By the by, don't think
have let you speak to Mr.. Campion yet"
As she did not take the slightest pains to
subdue her voice, these Geographic
sketches were distinctly heard all over
the room.
Mr.. Webster, red faced individual,
presumably clergyman from his dress,
certainly WINGED at her reference to him
self; but he had no excuse for being more
susceptible than the rest of the world, and
he had been given plenty of opportunities
for getting used to Mrs. Campion's manner,
which, if free from the polish of polite So
ciety, had at least the effect of breaking
down all barriers of conventionality. 1t
was useless to be conventional in the pres
ence of a woman who would call you by
your Christian name and tell you
what she thought of you as soon as look at
you. Persons who did not like this sort of
thing, and there were doubtless many who
did not, could always avoid it by staying
away.
Now, when she ceased speaking, every
one broke into exclamations of denial and
reproach, while, under cover of the noise
Kerr found himself installed by "NIimi"
Webster, pretty lady with a bushy head,
who affected Botticellian attitudes.
Tha owner of Kolokythia Lodge leaned
moodily against the mantelpiece, insensible
to the Establishments of Mrs. Highbury
Banks. He hated waiting for his dinner,
and his feelings were exacerbated by find
ing that Linburn was the delinquent. He
was not the least Jealous of the young
mans intimacy with Mrs. Campion, but he
considered him an affected idiot, who spoke
a .jargon he could not understand, and who
indulged in style of dress which appeared
: to Mr.. Campion quite sufficient grounds for
his in rarceration in Bedlam. The host ex-
pected no more pleasure or profit from the
evenings entertainment than his dinner
could afford him, and he saw no sence in
deferring it for a person who so little under
stood the sacred character of the feast as
to spoil his appetite by afternoon tea, and
could trife with his digestion by eating
sweets and dessert.
Mrs Highbury Banks lay in q lounging
chair almost at Campion's feet. She was
swarthy woman, with hair Ld Grecque,
pulled low over her beetling brows. She
looked up into her hosts face as she slowly
continued an anecdote which did not err on
the side of over-refnement, and he strug-
gled hard but successfully to hide the amuse-
ment with which it inspired him. He took
his lady down to dinner, and, thawing af-
| ter while under her genial influence, add
ed good deal to the noise of the party, if
not to it's brilliancy.
you won't mind taking in mademoiselle
will you, Lal ?" said Mrs Campion; 'you
shall sit by me, you know" and Linburn
was quite ready to take in the governess, as
he had often done before. He found her
quiet unassuming sort of person, who ex-
pected neither conversation nor attention.
Schoer bein was paired off with one of the
sleek headed, red handed daughters of the
house. He mentally registered vow nev-
or again to put his feet under the walnut
wood of Campion's table. He was just then
coming into fashion as a painter of misera-
BILE young women, apparently suffering from
mild form of cholera, but in reality in
tended to typify Yearning. Longing, Re
.trospection, or Regret. Much as he was
thought OF by other people, he was held IN
still greater consideration by himself, and
to expect him to pay attention to a mere
girl was to wound him in his tenderest
susceptibilities.
The dining-room was arranged on scien-
ti6c principles. All the light was centred
on the table by powerful lamp hanging
above it, Its soft rays enclosed the guests
in circle of brilliancy, and the semi-gloOm
beyond offered nothing to claim the atten-
tion Or attract the eye. At dinner man
should wish to look no further than the
pretty face of his Uis-d-vis or neighbor, and
her rippling conversation, far from draw