Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-06-25

onr,lung her personal hpppncs;: hlt,
;tnphip when The mal is 50 very dc irHble,
and when parents will is so very strongly
expressed, | think a du'iful character like
your. wi!l-will weigh the matter, Sophia"
Sophia was really broken down now and
sobbing pitcously; and Goldmore, who would
not have wounded her without cause on any
consideration judged that these tears were
shed over the final wrench from Percival
Brent.
"You are naturally agitated dear girl, he
went ON, in his thrcc-syll1ble style of speech.
you are a sympathetic nature, aud you
regret your late engagement. You are one
of those women who are always delicate in
your dealings with our sex-more delicate
perhaps than most of us deserve. But now
that the thing is done, every hour your Sor-
row win diminish and your future will grow
brighter Don't cry any more, Sophi1 YOU
are acting prulcntly, and you have obeyed
your parent
III. CAROLINE AND sOPHGA-LOvE VS.. LOVE
mind. So hy.n Car said, "if Prondcrgast
was an Il 'crv man, like Guldmore, | would
not have had YOU marry him, not if h. could
have heclcd your boots with diamonds Don't
YOU see hov dun Sibyl is: 1t is nothing IN
the world but that she is tired of that old fell
low. Now you may not think Egerton very
clever or witty hut | assure you he is n CAPT
til husband, and | have grown fonder of IN
than could have believed. | would not see
YOU so mopel as Sibyl, not if mamma were
to go ON her knees to us. But really, Sophia,
Prenderrast is more thln pa sable; he is very
| agreeable
"Well, but being agreeable doe not make
you love a man. Sophia ventured to say
NO" Car answered readily; but when a
man, character j, such as you approve. and
VIII II h.- position and pro poets are good. and
when he i, agreeable in addition you arr
safer in marrying hjm--afnr, do You hear,
/ Sophy.-than YOU would be in marrying af-
ter the most r,mautic OF court,hp-.'
Sophia Wa silent before Cars reasonable
assertion,
"Be,id4s, Sophy"-now she came to her
special appeal mamma is quite in terror
lest you should refuse Prender-ast She has
taken such fancy to him With his serious
ways one would hardly have expected that;
but so it is Prendergast will be making
mamma saint one Of these days if he enters
the famiy-he has such an influence over her.
1t was not altogether fair to Car to hold
out such a motive to her sister. She well
knew how Sophia bewailrd her mothers in
fatuated worl illness; and how in her gentle,
daughterlike way, She was always trying Il
make her mother less of a pagan and a
mockcr This one sentence OF Cars told
more with Sophia than all that had been
said to her before She was in that melan
choly mood when women, and men. too, often
make lifelong sacrifices at thu bidding OF
religion. What if Prcnlerga,t did really
make her mother in her last days a better
and a wiser woman! She sighed and looked
up at Car reccptivey
NO doubt of it, Car said, in kind of re-
ply to her sisters glance Mamma will be
the hapyie>t woman in England if you marry
him. And she has been kind mother to US
and We ought to please her if We can. Anl
besides, Us | said, he may really be useful to
mamma, she thinks so much of him.
Divided was Sophia's heart, and her loya
will was shaken when she left her sister Who
could stand such a succession of argument
and appeal: or, if we choose to bring in a new
metaphor, what citadel could resist such {
number of battering rams, managed by tha
eminent pagan military engineer, Mrs. Bar
bara Temple. Yes; Sophia was feeling thu
weakness OF her sex: IJahrt," - yield.'
". EGERroY AND soPHIA-IDIocY vs.. LOVE
As with sad steps she was walking dowI
the avenue, she was startled by the appari
ton of Egerton, who suddenly appeared
peeping over the top of a holly bush. H'
glanced apprchcnsively round. like paiC
assassin in "A tragedy, and then, coming roun(
the holly bush with long secret TarquiI
strides, lac advanced 10 Sophas side.
Come here" he said, in an awful whisper
And he returned behind the holly bush a
be came forth Sophia did not know what t.
think; but, waving his manner in her est
mate of the position, she came to the conclu
sion that n had got hedgehog, or som'
other natural curiosity which he wished hel
to inspect: So She followed him No soonel
was she at bis side than, with three or foul
more fuitive glances, he stopped to her ear
nnd, in whisper OF the profoundest caution
said:
Sophia" take my advice, and 60 and &c
married. It's an awfully nice thing. Ho
, may take It from me that it is not so niue
matter whom You marry as the thing II
. self Do that, and al the rest will follow
| Don't let out e any one that told you.
, And then, with an air of secrecy whic
was frightfully suggestive, and the sam
long aud ghostly strides, he made for tn
house leaving her to resume her path as bei
she might
V THE REV. ANTHONY BRENT AND SOPul
-DESPoNpENCY vs.. LOVE
"Miss Temple" the clergyman said, with
melancholy air. not the least feigned, "a
though. bv casting a gloom over his CONVEX
sation, it greatly furthcred Mrs. Barbar
Temples ends, times have changed, change
indeed. | had letter from my son two day
ago.
How that good little heart leapad TO hoa
it, Percval lie seemed near her once l-ai'
and she wculi Boz strengthened now.
"Fow is rrrcivai" she asked gently
1Prcttv we'll. therefor replied; ";olgrah!