The Penn's Grove record., 1886-04-24

can tell me if there are any of them
you would like to meet again"
Eyes, l can do that. L should like
to meet most of them again;n then, as
[ looked a little disappointed, for this
was really too vague, he added, "Es-
peclally Miss PurdIe."
"Ah, that's betterl" Isaid cheerfully
"You shall certainly have an opportu-
nifty of seeing her again soon."
So 1 took the trouble a few days
later to make up a party to go to the
theatre, and L persuaded mamma to
invite Mr.. Glynne to join us. Connie
was only too pleased to be asked, and
still more pleased to have Mr.. Glynne
paying her attention all the evening. |
must own l felt a little surprised that
he should prefer her to Emily, who is a
thousand times nicer, and l was not
exactly sorry when he told me on the
following Sunday that he thought, after
all, he should like to see Emily once
again.
II am notquite sure that Miss Par.
die would make agood colonist's wife,"
he said, twirling his long m~oustache,
and look contemplatiyely into my face.
In my heart Of hearts 1 was certain
she would not; but | did not say this to
him. l only promised that L would
arrange for him soon to meet Emily.
However, he arranged this himself, and
that very quickly, for the next morning
there came a nice little note for mann
ma, in which Mr., Glynne said he had
taken a double box at the Lyceum for
that evening. and he hoped mamma.
her daughters and any friends she chose
to bring would honor him with their
agreeable society.
We did honor him with society;
but he made me quite cross, for he
talked as much to me and Hattie as he
did to Emily, and, when he called OF
the following Friday 1--WE are at home
both Fridays and Sunday5,) he began
to regret that Hattie was not Emily.
"Niiss Hattie is awfully nice," he
said. "You won't let me off my prom
Use, l suppose?n
"Certalnly notl" l cried Indignantly.
"And, if you feel that you are going TO
like her, you must say goodbye to US
all at once. If you fell in love with her
and she with you, I should be
bound to give way; and, oh, | don't
want her to be a colonist's wifel Do
you think you are going to fall in lover"
| asked very anxiously.
81 am afraid Ihave done so already"
he said; and he got up abruptly and
walked over to mamma.
1 wa ~dreadfully distressed at this,
although l liked him all the better for
appreciating my dear old Hattie. II
he had been anybody else but ~colonist
l thought, how nice it would have
beenl As it was, it could not be suffer
ed for an instant. l must have looked
very p%erturbed, FIR, when he came to
say goodbye, he murmured earnestly
TITS all right, Miss Boulton. l
promise you l will not think any more
of Hattie-not as a wife, at least"
But l was only half treasured. Some
how we saw great deal of Mr.. Glynne
during the next fortnight. First Con-
ME sent him an invitation to her birth
day-bali, and after that asked him and
us to dinner. Then we found out that
he had a beautiful voice, aud he went
with us to one of Hattie's working
mems concerts. He expressed too such
a wish to hear rector preach that
mamma, who thinks Mr.. Postlethwalte
the most eloquent preacher in the world
insisted ON his occupying a seat in our
pew; but, returning to luncheon after
wards, / knew Mr.. Glynne did not
really care about the rectOr's sermons.
Still 1 forgave him this deceit because,
after all, a man wants to learn what he
can about the girl he intends to make
his wife, and there was no II who
could tell him more about Emily than
I could.
Now that l look back, l am afraid l
did not tell him half enough of her
good qualities; but, honestly, that was
not my fault. He would not keep to
the point, do what | might to make
him. Somehow he seemed to be find
ing out more about me than any one
else. For instance, when l would tell
him how fond Emily was of reading,
and how well she could declaim scenes
from ~Shakspere. he would turn on me
with all sorts of questions. Was l fond
of Shakspere? Had | read all his plays?
Did | think him a grander poet than
Dante, Goethe, or Milton2 And then,
without thinking, 1 would find myself
enthusiastically discussing the Eliza
betnan dramatists, Greek tragedy, et-
cBtera, with him, and Emily's name
would not cross our lips till his visit
was over. Again l would tell him how
sweetly Emily played the piano, and
how well she would be able to accom-
pany him. In a few minutes he would
be talking of his favorite song. and be-
fore I.knew how it happened, l would
be singing duets with him.
But time went on, and, despite his
tendency to vacillate between Emily
and Connie, and any other girl he met
and liked, it was soon evident that his
final decision was about to be made.
He called one afternoon when both
mamma and Winnie were out, and,
hearing that / was sitting alone in the
garden, he insisted on the butler bring
ing me his card. L could not do less
than allow him to jolu me there, be-
cause it would have looked so rude,
Besides, / was really curious to know
what had brought him, when he knew
perfectly we'll that mamma and Winnie
were at the Countess of Hilton's gar
den party, and that we never received
except on our receptlon-days, Friday
aud Sunday. Perhaps" l thought,
she has proposed to Connie and he has
come to tell me-" AS he came across
the lawn. l saw that he looked very
quiet and pale, and L wa certain he
would have shown some outward Ella
ton had he just been accepted by a girl
he liked.
Iordered afternoon tea to be prepar-
ed In the garden, and for long time WI sat
talking about Indifferent subjects. But
l could see that he wanted to speak of
the matter that was in both our minds,
because he behaved so strangely and
allowed such long pauses in the CONVEX
sation. At last, after n of the longest
of these pause1, he said abruptly
"You know l leave England at the
end OF this month";"
$50 soonl'' l exclaimed, rather dis
mayed, for that left him little more
than three weeks in which to propose
and get married. II am very sorry you
have to go,"I said regretfully, for 1t
suddenly dawne1 upon methat should
mss him very much. He really was
an much nicer than most of the men we