Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-09


time for the midday dinner, and she sat
at table there pale and silent, and with
consciousness as of guilt weighing upon
her. She even did her best to eat some
thing, in order to avoid their remarks
and looks but she failed in that, and was
glad to get away us soon as she could
to the privacy of her own room
"Tm sure | don't know what's the
matter with Williamina," Mrs. Douglas
said, with sigh. "She's not been look
ing herself for many a day back; and
she seems going from bad to worse
she ate hardly u scrap of dinner"
OF course it was for the doctor to pre-
scribe.
"She wants change" he said.
change" the little dame retorted,
subject with her. "She would have
had a change long before now but for
her and you together Three months ago
! wanted her sent to Glasgow"
" Glasgow for any one in Indifferent
health ~ the big bland doctor managed
to interpolate; but she would not listen.
am sure don't understand the girl.
She has no proper pride. Any other girl
in her position woulf be glad to have such
chances, and eager to make use of them.
But, no; she would sooner go looking
after lot of cotter's children than set to
work to qualify herself for taking her
proper place in society; and what is the
use of my talking when you encourage
her in her idleness ~
81 like to have the girl at home" he
said, rather feebly
There" she said, producing n letter
and opening it, although he had heard the
contents dozen times before" there it
is, IN black and white; a distinct invita-
ton. Could you let Meenie come to us
for month or six weeks when we go to
Brighton in November :"
" Well said the good-natured doctor,
hut ho hiatt |. ind Of "a T1, 90
Sea air-sunllght-plenty OF society and
amusement"
"She shall not 60 there, nor anywhere
else, with my cOnsn and his family until
she has fitted herself for taking such
position said the little woman, peremp.
torily. Sir Alexander is good nature it
self, but | am not going to send him a
half-educated Highland girl that he
would be ashamed of. Why, the best
families in England go to Brighton for
the winter-every one is there. 1t would
be worse than sending her to London.
And what does this month or six weeks
mean Surely 1t is plain enough, They
want to try her. They want to see what
her accomplishments are They want to
see whether they can take her abroad
with them, and present her at Paris and
Florence and Rome. Every year now Sir
Alexander goes abroad at Christmas
time, and of course, if she satisfied them,
she would be asked to 90 also and there,
think of that chance '
1.-THE girl is well enough" said he
She was on the point of retorting that,
as far rs he knew anything about the
matter, Williamina was well enough.
But she spared him.
"No she has no proper pride" the little
Dresden-china woman continued And
just now, when everything is in her
favor Agatha never had such chances.
Agatha never had Williamina's good
10 I
Mr.. Gemmll he is a highly respectable
man and if business is going on as they
say it is going, don't see why they should
not leave Queens Crescent and take
larger house-up by the West End Park.
And he is an intelligent man too; the
society they have is clever and intellectual
you saw in Agatha's last letter about
the artists party she had-why. their
names are in every newspaper; quite dis
tinguished people in that way of life.
And at all events, it would be a beginning.
Williamina would learn something.
Agatha is a perfect musician; you can't
deny that
But here the big doctor rebelled and he
brought the weight of his professional au-
thority to bear upon her.
"Now look here, Jane. when | said that
the girl wanted a change, | meant
change; but not change to singing les
sons, and music lessons, and German les
sons, and Italian lessons, and not a change
to an atmosphere like that of Glasgow.
Bless my soul, do you think that kind of
change will bring back the color to her
cheek, and give her an appetite, and put
some kind of cheerfulness into her?
Queens Crescent She's not going to
Queens Crescent with my will. Brighton,
If you like"
Creighton To get herself laughed at,
and put in the background, as halted
ucated ignorant Highland peasant girl? So
long as she is what she is, she shall not go
o Brighton with my will"
30 here was an absolute deadlock so far
as Meenie's future was concerned but
she knew nothing f it and if she had
known, she would not have needed much.
il was not of her own future she was
thinking. And it seemed so terrible to
her to know that there was nothing she
would not have adventured to save this
man from destruction, and to know that
he was incapable of doing anything at
ment, to make an appeal to him if she
could but take his hand in hers, would
she not say that there had been timidity
doubt, misrepresentation in the past, but
that now there was no time for any of
these she had come to claim him and
himself-no matter what he might
think of her? Indeed, she tried to
put ali thought of herself out of the mat
ter. She would allow no self-prde to in
terfere, if only she could be Of the smallest
aid to him, if she could stretch out her
hand to him, and appeal to him, and drag
him back. But how She seemed so
helpless. And yet her anxiety drove her
to the consideration of a hundred wild
and impossible schemes; insomuch that
she could not rest in her own room, to
which she had retreated for safety and
quiet. She put on her bonnet again and
went out, still with that guilty conscious
ness OF secret hanging over her and she
went down the road and over the bridge,
and then away up the solitary valley
through which the Mudal flows. Alas
there was no laughing over the brown
shadows now; there was no thinking
of
1.-THE sweet forget mo nOts,
That grow for happy lovers;
all had become dark around her and the
giant grasp of Glasgow had taken him
away from her, and dragged him down,
hlnttnd yi Isl of