Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-27
ACLERICAL ROMANCE


~ 49, ASFs ----S -.
having bean escorted TO : most con,
fSr1a6Ie seat By an attentive guard
hsvjrr arranged sis various belonging
and 6pslly unioldsd his afternoon ps
81. refined against the cushione
bsck Of The compartment for q me
msus, sishsd gently Is . relief conss
ouspt on the fatigue and bother Of bi
drive, the trouble Of buying . ticket
and seeing that be was properl
taken care Of. Then he leaned his hes
out Of the window 10 survey contsm
plativeIy the busy crowd hurrying an'
busting about. A crowd Is Away
moro or less amusing to . spectator o
it. movements, and the reverend gen
tlsman, being Of gregsrious DISPOSE
ton, rather liked looking on at othe
people working or playiDg--especialll
wsll.conducted, respectable kind o
people, who did not render themselves
dissgresabls.
The Rev. Septimus hoped he nigh
be fortunate enough to have his com
psrtment completely to himself, and
had intimated his desire to the friendly
guard. The carriages were rapidls
fillire. and the train would start In
another FIVE minutes, so no blandly sur
yeyed the figures fitting and flying ia
md fro. gazing on their busy actions
with lapguid complacency. He seldom
travelled beyond the outskirts Of his
own Arcadia, and objected strongly t.
encountesipg any discomfort on his
journeys.
At bis age--he was nearly sixty, bu
his dressing glass, in common with his
numerous friends and few enemies, told
him that be appeared certainly twelve
or fifteen years lsss--when nigh six de-
cades have begun to whisper unpless-
antly of aches and pains, bothers and
worries, it ID most needful to be gently
punctilious as to personal comfort.
Fate had been bountsous to the Rev.
Septimus she had given him all the
welcome offerings she could scatter
at his feet-good looks, ample fortune, a
circle of admirers, If not adorers and
worshippers, . sunlighted path to tread
on through life. He had married a
vell-dowered wife, who had been mod
erstely kind to him, but after ten or
twelve years of calm domestic partner
ship had departed, leaving him not ut
tsrly dssolate, inconsolable, or q prey
TO despair. His only daughter had
married we'll in her teens; his only son
had received an enviable appointment
in India.
Nearly everybody was seated; the
final slamming Of doors ratified like
musketry fire all along the line Of car
risges. The Rev. Sephmus gently
shook bis newspaper, the odor Of the
printing ink being slightly offensive to
him. At home, in the rectory, the
daily journal was always solicitously
aired before being touched by the dim
pied white hands of the perhaps too
fastidious rector. With reluctance he
had not yet overcome even when
alone, he took his spectacles from
their case, wiped the glasses with a
handkerchief fine and soft as snow,
such as a duchess might use, perched
the gold frame across his handsome
nose, and meditatively resigned himself
to scan the latest news. Fate had, in
one of her teasing moods, inflicted upon
her fayorits tie modification of wear
ing spectscles, in malicious sport, as
frolicsome girls will sometimes scratch
their lovers with the thorn Of q rose.
Outlines did the rector think it was too
bad, when he happened to see some
wretched old farm-laborer about sew
enty or eighty years old reading with
out f" glasses {" and with manifest ease.
A soft, melodious voice said, so sud-
denly IS to startle him:
"May l come in here?"
He looked up, whipped his spectacles
under the paper, and stared at the
speaker, not only answering quickly,
Certainly" but rising and actually
opening the door himself to admit a
most beautiful girl, who sprang lightly
in and seated herself opposite to him.
The rector liked beautiful, fash
ionsbly. sttired girls, though be sell
dom enjoyed the good fortune
Of meeting them. He ranked them
among the agreeable, solacipg things of
this dull life-like roses, peaches, pine
apples, Rimmel's choicest perfumes,
and so on. In a mild, paternsl way,
he disspproved Of young female persons
trying to be clever, or intellectual, or
stray ing outside the calm, sheltering
precincts of domestic duties, as he
deemed it necessary to rebuke them for
yielding to the temptation Of friyolity
on the other hand.
This young lady was perhaps eigh-
teen or twenty years old, with a charm
ing, frank, girlish face, bewitchipgly
pretty, and DO doubt was as amiable as
her looks declared her to be. Her at
tire, q masterpiece Of richness in ma
terial, combined with chaste simplicity
of design, set off her beauty to the
highest advantage.
"Oh, thank you so rery much" she
said, with an upward glance from the
shadow Of her long dark eyelashes-the
glance Of trustful child, With dan
gerous CLEAN Of an sdmiring young
woman. The reverend gentleman was
accustomed to be regarded with glances
imply ing admiration but even the gods
never tire of slipping nectar, and criti-
cal little bird might have betrayed the
secret that no now priced these glances
( more highly as the remorseless years
sneaked by.
81 Am so unaccustomed to travel
ling" she continued, smiling. "0f
course l am never allowed to travel by
mysell-pspa would be Mortified. And
mamma says there are so many rude,
dissgieeable people about"
"Then how" began the Rev.
Septjmus. pleasantly amused and graft
fed by the delightful confidence thus
displayed.
"ob, pardon me---just one moment, :"
said the young lady. An eminently re-
spectacle elderly woman appeared At
the door. You are very tiresome, -
the young lady continued, poutingly,
70 tbis individual.
~Yss, Miss Ada, but can change
ny ticket at the next station"
"My maid was so stupid, or the man