Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-06-25
CHAPTER III.
rGERTOY HuOLrTTLE GIVES HIS VOICE FOR
SENERE MEASIRES.

SEVERE MEASURES.
When Mrs Barbara Temple was ushcred
into Car,,iue'S drawing room, She caught
sight of the Young husband and wife sitting
side by side on sofa. Her coming was evil
IDENTITY unexpected and Egcrton, calculating
"My gracious" dashed ont into con~crva-
tory adjoining the drawing room. vhiic
Caroline. composing herself, met her mother
with lust the smallest signs Of momontaIY con
fusion The little woman glanced at two
love bird, pcrched side by side in n cage
which hung over the conservatory threshold,
and then She recalled Sibyl, sitting in her
lonely splcndor
For -omc things" our little Tilray re
marked privately, for some things young
fool /, hcit,r than an old sage. But thce, az.
only the etcctcras Of life; Sibyl has secured
the grand thing after all, and more OF 1t
than Car Life is pretty equal
"Caroliue. my dear girl, she said after a
few casual words. Il have come this morning
to consult You on a matter of the greatest i'm
portancc. ! know your good sense. and the
energy with which you can act when you
have decided what is right to be done If it
was not for you, Caroline, and your tact and
Judgment should be in despair
With this msnuatmg preface she told the
story # proudcrgast's proposal; and after
eXIalul- III il!t iliDSl EiDN lll 81 ~ All lists
of his person. character and estate, she turned
to the dismal topic of Sophia's ntatuation for
that penniess Australian boy.
For this whim, this caprice, this idea,
which is not worthy to he called an idea. she
will actually sacrifice a man who is not only
man Of family and fortune, but whose char
acter is of the very pattern she most processes
to admire. protest Caroline, it will drive
me wild.
1T certainly is unfortunate Car said.
"And unless You cooperate with me, work
with me, and work hard and wisely, too.
Sophia will lose the best chance in life she
. ever can have. | can do nothing without
your assistance, dear
~ shall ito all in my power, mamma Car
olme replied, but YOU must tell me what
YOU wish.
at was on my tongue, dear girl You
must have a conversation with Sophia-let it
seem accidental-and say you have heard
about Prendergast Praise him little but
that is not your particular point Set before
Sophv nty delight at the idea of the mar
riage the happiness it will give me; how
miserable | shall he if it goes Off Sophia is
an affectionate girl and ! believe would do
"a very great deal simply to show her love
10 me- Now. YOU must put before her
strongly my feelings and hopes tor, indeed,
dear, ii Prendergast does not marry her
shall die of vexation Now go over and over
this matter with Sophia, You know, Car,
she i, not like you-clcar-headed, Of sound
Judgment, seeing what is right at a glance
and firm to carry out her ideas. She is soft
yielding, terder-hearr,l If ! were you
should coax her a lite, kiss her, he tender
with her, all that vii. eel with Sophia Now
Iknow. my love. | have given you u difficult
70 nd biptr I,1t l-nb,Vl
edge of your tact would have encouraged m,
to ask you to undertake it. But you will dc
it, and do it we'll Sophia will marry Prem
dergast, and the plais, OF the affair will b,
yours
The little mother had not said one syllable
about Car, clcyerness which was unmerited
but however astute that young lady nigh
he, she vas like an oSicr wand in the ski!lc.
hands @ her mother With wonderful enthu
sasm car took up the scheme, ana not L.,
wonderful was the simple obedience Wit
which She resolved to follow out the direction
that Were given her Independent and in
ventive as she was in herself, she yet learne,
her mothers word, by heart as faithfully a
if she had been getting up a scene in play
She dill not insert a word of her own; am
the more she showed her readiness to folio,
her mother, instructions implicitly, the NOR
did that mrivaled student of human natur
laud her qui kness, her resource, her capacit
for maneuver and benevolent stratagem
Presently Egerton looked in from the con
servatory gigaling and hluShng.
81 have heard all you have been saying t
Garry he said. "Twasn't listening, | hope
Couldn't help it if it was, the other doc
beiYg locked o, Mrs. Temple, do you kno,
really think YOU must be a clever woman
really think YOU must be- You seem t
know everything and to manage everybody
quite agree with You about mstillmg thing
into Sophin'9 mind lmpres, upon her
here Egerton tcapottcd himself and with Out
stretched hand bcgau to spout nuentiv-"im
pres, upon her the tremendous importance c
marriage. Tell her that marriage is the sol
of thing that must DE done, you know
You can assure her from me that it is tr,
mendousy important. And YOU can tell l.,
that my exp rirncc is that il isn't so much ma
fer whom YOU marry aS the thing itself. i
that, and the rest win follow. OF course
was not Speeding Of myself quite, you know
not altogether: for Carry is such trcmrl
douslv nice girl that / don't hardly know th'
! could have found another wife who won
have made me so happy-at least not wit
out great deal of trouble, you know b.
mean You ar" to impress ON Sophia that,
general wa il docs not much matter who
You marry. ma men, II she won see IL
well, | scare ~ know what to advise III
streamnow became intermittent, and Egcrtc
began to show symptoms of wandering in h
mind. II was reading some book lat
about girl that would not marry somelod
and what her parents did was, they shut h
up i'm some tower somewhere. and kept h
on bread and water But you sec you hay
no tower at Il e Beeches, Still you mig
try the bread and water 1t is wonderf
what diet docs"
OF flew our elderly little Venus once NOR