New Ulm weekly review., 1886-12-08

disruptive tendency Of feudal govern
ment. But no, said the girls, he must
have heard; there was no doubt what
ever that he had heard me.
The girls were as happy as usual.
They could contemplate the situation
TRANQUILITY; it even afforded them
amusement; they found something
humorous in my discontinue. 1t
was I, not they, whom he had over
| heard.
We sat in a half circle on the floor
before the fire that night, in our pref
ty bright dressing-gowns, and drank
cocoa and ate sweet biscuit before go
| ing to bed. Twas hostess. The study,
the little tin kettle singing on the
| hob, the blue and white china the
cocoa, the sweet biscuits were all mine.
We four friends gave cocoa parties in
turn. Tomorrow Claudia would pro-
vide the feast. Yesterday Nell had
been hostess. Cocoa was the chief
dissipation Of our college. We gave
'cocoas" as our brothers gave sswines"
it was a drink easily made, mex
pensive, nutritious.
We sat round the fire on the floor,
talking and Laughing, holding our tea
cups and stirring our cocoa slowly and
absent-mindedly as we talked. My
guests were merry, but tonight was
unusually silent and depressed.
CATER all," said Claudia sensibly,
trying to comfort "after all, what
did you say, Cis? Nothing nothing
at all events that mattered. You
said he was young; we'll, that is true.
How old, girls, do you imagine he is?"
twenty-five" said Lottie.
'"Twenty-four," said Nell.
every young" said Claudia, conclu-
slvely.
t'Then you called him shy-well he
is shy. You said he blushed well, he
does blush"
;, "That is just it" I groaned. '.It is
all so true.''
"He will think you observant," said
Nelly, nibbling the sugar from her bis
cult with slow epicurean enjoyment.
"He will think, at all events, that
you ale interested in him." said Lot
tie cheerfully.
'In him-a mani" I groaned, for a
girl who has tyrannized over eight ad-
miring brothers and been treated all
her life with Difference by fond father
and uncles has an ungrateful scorn for
men. l had had no meek mother and
aunts and sisters to teach me humili-
ty as a becoming womanly virtue.
"Poor Cis-poor Cicely!" said the
girls sympathetically. ''And Satur-
day is coming and you will be forced
to see him. You poor, poor CicelyP'
Yes, Saturday was coming. On
Wednesday and Thursday and Fri
day l went about with a constant
consciousness ofSaturday' inevitable
advance. Our urlecturer had stated that
on Saturday afternoon he would be
pleased to go through our papers with
US, to discuss points OF interest, ex-
plain difficulties, and remove possible
misconceptions. We were to 20 to
him singly. l was to go alone to the
man who, I had said, was shy of me
and thought of me as girl and could
not forget that | was girl, whom 1
had said blushed. The thought was
terrible.
Saturday came. The girls were
cheerful. $50 first, Cis," they said-s.so
first and get it over"
eyes, l will go first" said. But
when he came faltered and put off
the evil moment, and Claudia, Nell
and Lottie all went in before me.
"He is not shy to-day" reported
Nell on her return. II think, Cis, that
perhaps we were mistaken about him.
Or, perhaps. he was under the impress
sion that we were learned girls; after
our papers and our chatter he knows
us better and thinks very little OF us.
He is solemn horribly solemn! And
no old man could be severer. Oh; he
is quite at his ease"
Nell had reported truly. He was
quite at his ease. He was sitting wait
ing at a table which had pens and ink
and papers on it; there was no expec-
fancy in his attitude; he seemed a lit
tie bored, indeed; he sat with his back
towards the door, one elbow on the
table, his hand propping his chin. He
rose when he heard me, and looked at
me calmly enough as he shook hands.
miss Chrystal?" he said.
eyes," l said, meekly
He touched q chair that stood be-
side his at the table, and l sat down
with a feeling Of obedience. His face
was grave, his manner, AS Nell had
said, severe; wondered how I could
have thought him nervous; he looked
as though he had never blushed; he
seemed quite unaffected by the con-
sciousness that his pupil was a girl.
He seated himself beside me, and drew
corrected exercise towards him.
'This think, is your paper, Miss
Crystal?'
eyes," I said in a small voice-"LI
think SO, Mr.. Tudor"
He was turning the pages slowly and
gravely. sat looking down at my
hands folded meekly on the table and
did not see his face.
''Your first answer isis made
quate."
''The first part Of stubbs isis very
difficult" Isaid, venturing to look
up.
There was strange quick little
twinkle for q moment in his eyes as
he glanced at me; but his lips did not
smile.
"In the next question:" he said
oil vy1x