The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-04-25
AN OXFORD IDYLL.

Attic PIGOTT-C CARLETON.
AN OXFORD IDYLL.
There are more Cinderallas nowadays
han the world imagines The old story Is
Enacted under different circumstances, with
varying details, In many an English house
hold. The daughters of the land may be
fair, but there are too many Of them, per-
haps, for the anxious, mauTuvring mother
10 pilot among the shoals and quicksands of
society. Now and then a younger one is
kept out in the cold for little; forbidden
to cross the borderland between the school
room and the drawing-room--no exactly
forced TO sit In ashes, but repressed, hidden
away In the dim background. There may
be reason, plenty of worldly wisdom in this,
and yet the girlwoman is apt Ia wax rebel
lious her sisters triumphs fill her with
envy. All sorts of radiant visions of posi-
BILE and impossible delights seem to beckon to
her from that unknown world. Why must
she, poor little Cinderella, waste her sweet
bloom unseen aud unheededY
One fears Mabel Templeton had some such
thoughts as these as she watched half sadly,
half enviously, the progress Of her sisters
toilets one bright June forenoon, and also
the packing Of two we'll filled trunks, into
each of which Rosalie was depositing a per-
fectly new and dainty ball dress. For Mr..
Templeton had consented to take his two
elder daughters to Oxford for the Commend
ration; and though there was no mother In
this case, Aunt Selma, who was also of the
party, had ilatly refused to act as chaperone
to more than two nieces at time.
ttntc, urono blo n1J ibi,,u ~ tn,tttprpd Gin
derella, with curl of her pretty lips. She
was trying TO brave out her disappointment
in this fashion, but tears lay very near the
surface. for the poor girls heart was very
sore. at is such a shame, too, when Owen
is my own brother, and have never seen
his rooms, or his cap and gown; and papa
took you both last year"
'.Yes, but II was not Commemoration time
everything was rs slow and stupid as posi-
ble," returned Violet, placidly. "Don't be
cross, Nah; neither Pauline nor can help
Aunt Selina's fads. You know papa does
not like us to cross her, because she is so
rich. 1t was not possible for me to put in a
word"
She spoke in a tone of good natured banter,
and patted her young sisters shoulder kindly
as she passed.
"Don't, vii" returned Nab, rather irri-
tably. at is all very we'll, yonr saying
that about Aunt Selma, but you know that
neither you nor Pauline said one word
you never even mentioned me. Aud ye'
Owen begged SO hard that l should go thi.
year"
ooh, Nab how tiresome you are |" OBJ
served Pauline, as Mabel paused in her in
dignant speech. All the Templeton girls
handsome but though Pauline was very
fair and stately, one or two old friends of tn,
family had predicted that Nab would on'
day bear the palm. 81 wish you would no
provoke me into saying it, but must owl
that think Aunt is quite right, and three
would be too many. II is our turn this year
but next Commemoration, who knows f'
And here she stopped to survey herself il
the glass.
Mabel gave little stamp with her foot
but she had sweet nature on the whole
and she wisely resolved not to give vent I,
the feelings that oppressed her. She wa,
cross, she knew-.dreadfully cross-but, oh
If they only imagined what this disappoint
ment meant to her, how really unhappy sht
was. But that was Just what she could no
own to any one.
Nab had her own little secret, though she
was only eighteen, and neither Pauline no.
Violet would allow that she was quite grown
up. Why, IL was only this week that the
governess had been dismissed. And she wal
quite right iu her surmise that neither of he
sisters wished to include her in their party
1t is difficult for a girl to be perfectly honest
OH all occasions. Nab was hardly telling
the truth, that is the whole truth, when sh,
alleged her fOndness for Owen and her de
sire to see him in his un lergraduate garb
as her reason for wishing to 60 to Oxford
Owen was certainly very dear to her, but /
may be doubted il some one were not becom
ing dearer still.
Last vacation Owen had brought frienC
home with him, and the two had been
great deal in the school room, where Nal
still did some pretence of lessons with Mis-
Dalton. Nevertheless, her demurs manner
in the drawing. room of an evening wers a.
grown-up as Pauline's could be.
What would Mr.. Beauchamp think wlsi
he saw only Violet and Pauline? And ye
he had begged her so earnestly to com
down for week.
"You will be out. then" he had said, quit
eagerly. "Miss Dalton tells me she is I
leave In June.''
ooh, yes. | shall be out then. am quit
grown up now," Nab assured him will
much naivete and little dignity but sh
blushed like rose over the young man
next words.
every we'll. shall look for you, and 20
must give me your first dance at the Univer
sity ball. | will dance with no one else unit
You appear. Do not disappoint me. ! shal
known what TO think II / see you. II vii
show you care little for my wishes, in spit
of all your teasing-for you have leased IN
sadly, have you not, Miss Mab!"
But to this Mabel made no sort of reioin
der, except by that blush.
She sat aud thought about IT all when tn
carriage had taken them at last to the sta
ton, and she was left alone In the sunny, d.
serted drawing room. Miss Dalton was gone
all the lesson books were put away, she wa
grown up young lady, as she said. lie
time was her own. At the present monien
she was mistress of that great house, an,
had half dozen servants at her command
When the carriage came back she was .
liberty to get into II, aud order the coachma
to convey her round the park. Her sister
might bs shocked, perhaps, at such ind'
pendence, but then they should not have le
her. And yet, in spite of all this freedol
| and grandeur, no Cinderella sitting anon
the ashes could have felt more forlorn or mil
cradle.
Owen, dear old fellow, would be bittsrl
disappointed, for Nab was his special sister
but, as he would be coming back with then
such disappointment could be borne. 81
what would Mr.. Beauchamp think when h
saw only her sisters That she had NJ
cared to come-tllat his wishes were nothir
to her-that she meant only teasing and ful
and nothing else. And all that after all Ii
kindness TO her, "ths little Faerie Queene,
as he had once called her at Christm,
party.
sob, II is too hard II is bitterly hard
sobbed the poor child. And though 81
was not imaginative, at least not more tina
other happy young girls, a dim, shadow
feeling came over her that It was inst son
such cross accident as this that had spoil,
many an innocent young life, marring |
fair beginnings and tangling its gold'
threads. Sand should not have minded
l should not be half 30 miserable If Ia;
not leased him so much, and made him 10,
sad" finished Nab, in little outburst
despair.
And any one who knew Ned BeauchamI
character would have believed she had eau
for her fears. The young man had alreat