Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-14
CHAPTER VI.

Stick, gloves and hat all held in one hand.
the other hand already raised for the com
mencement Of his speech, so the perturbed
clergyman broke into Mrs. Barbara Temples
drawing room. He saw what might nave
claimed his mind. The three girls were stand
ing in a group admiring a drawing which
Sibyl has just been buying, and their mother
was deep in a novel. The girls looked up,
and as the merry rector was a ~favorite in the
house each fair face turned to smiles at sight
Of him. Such rays ought to have melted the
angry man into kindness; but no influence,
kind or stern, could have quoted him Just
then.
young ladies, he said, abruptly, address
ing the graceful three, my business is with
your mother-alone.n
This odd intimation, considering the ex-
cited manner in which he made it, meant,
they thought, one thing only. Lightly they
vanished from the room, but even in going
they glanced significantly at each other; for
the subject was so interesting that they could
mot delay an exchange of ideas even till they
got outside the door. The rector was going
to propose TO mammal
Mamma thought so, too. She was not often
deceived, either by her eyes or her ears, but
for once she fancied that the tremor in the
rector'S voice, his flushed cheek, his alcoholic
manner, were signs of a lovers uneasiness.
Indeed, as to the manner, she without any
hesitation explained it as arising from wine.
1t was still early in the afternoon, but Mrs.
Barbara Temple was not angry. Teetotalism
was not yet fashionable, and the little woman
remarked to herself: "They very often give
themselves a flip in that way before coming
to the point. Pity when they overdo it-and
yet | don't know"
The rector might be Hustered, but Mrs.
Barbara Temple was calm and pleasant.
She motioned him to a seat-not upon her
WI sofa, but close to it; and then, laying
down her novel, she turned upon him with
der most gracious air.
Automatically $50 we say in this scientific
age he sat down, and, still to continue the
scientific style, by the actions of the law of
gravitation his hat, gloves and cane, which
be let go, went their different ways to the
floor. He did not notice the fall, and Mrs.
Temple began inly to compute how many
glasses he must have taken.
Il hope he has not gone too far" the pru-
dent woman said to herself; and her hope
grew less and less as the rector regarded her
with his red, confused visage, saying nothing
for quite a minute. Then he spoke:
Mrs. Temple" he said, Il this morning re-
ceived a tremendous lesson in the hollowness
OF the nGrld!'
Mrs. Barbara Temple was not greatly
skilled in ~metaphorical language, especially
the pulpit sort; but as she knew that her Wis
tor was not the sort of person to make re-
searches into the interior of the physical
globe, she had nc great difficulty in under
standing that he spoke of the human kind
under this universal symbol.
well, well" she said, shaking her head,
chat very often happens. The best thing is
to be prepared for it. Don't expect too much
Of men and women, and you will learn to be
~good-humored over their selfshness and
hypocrisy. After all, are we much better
ourselves' At any rate, let us keep our
temper"
She stroked her dress at these words, brush
ing of some imaginary dust, and, looking up
at the clergyman, she smiled.
That" the clergyman said, solemnly, "s a
terribly frivolous view to take of 50 serious a
subject Then, seeing the woman of the
world elevate her eyebrows and smile more
CONTEMPORARY than before, he added:
Especially when the fault is our own"
He looked at her SO directly, and with such
anger, that she was quite puzzled. This
could not be the opening passage of an offer
Of marriage; and what could it be? Mrs.
Temple, however, had faces and manners for
all complications.
@Mr. Brent she said, with just the faint
est sign Of distance about her, such as could
either b efaced or deepened according a,