Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-12-08
CHAPTER V.
CuA1 1Gn V.
GooD-BY, SWEETHEART, GooD-BY

"GOOD-BY, SWEETHEART, GOoD-BY.
The two married sisters returned from
their honeymoons about the same time, Sibyl
looking naughty and discontented, but Caro-
line cheerful and well pleased. AS to the
bridegrooms, we could see no trace OF change
for better or worse in Goldmore; but Eyer
ton was decidedly stouter, in excellent spirits,
and, from an accession Of confidence, more
apt to make fool Of himself in company
than ever.
The sisters soon met, and Sophia could not
complain of any lack of sympathy on thepart
of her elders They were both at first in
clined to take prudent mammals view; but
when Sophia told them of her love and his
constancy they were touched. The world
had not yet got complete mastery over them,
and they commended Sophia, kissed her, COM
forted her, and said some day she would be
happy.
Commander-in-chief Mrs. Barbara Temple
took care to have an interview with young
Brent. She was kind and sympathetic, but
she said it was her maternal duty to point out
to him that-whatever Sophia might say-he
was injuring her prospects if he kept up any
understanding with her. engagement of
course" the little woman said, "is not to be
promise that each will secretly wait for
each-would be pernicious snare, full Of
danger to Sophia's prospects"
"Not," added Mrs. Worldly Wisewoman,
"that these promises are erer kept. Facts are
too much even for lovers. I have seen fifty
of these understandings made in perfect good
faith, and from motives that were quite
pretty, but none ever came 10 anything.
Still, object to arrangements.
"Your daughter is as free as if she never
saw me-" Percival said. II have made her
promise that she will consider that there is
not shred to bind her to me. She is to feel
that she may engage herself and marry, and
never think that there is any intimation to
be sent to me, except through the news
paper"
"And may ask-don't think me rude, Mr..
Brent, / am simply doing my duty-if you
are as free on your side! II you marry,
shall she hear of it through the newspaper,
too9"
She looked at him sharply, almost humor-
ously, as she put this penetrating question.
O, we must pay tribute to our little
mother who had tact that in wider fields of
action might have smoothed the feelings of
ruffled empires.
ayes, am quite as free as she," he an
swered. 1--WE promised each other that we
should feel so."
1t was quite true They had promised e1-
actly in these terms, only the four lips that
exchanged the treaty were Immediately after
ward engaged together sealing quite another
sort of Lond. Was this what Shakespeare
ment by ''plain and holy innocence, /
wonder? And yet possibly Mrs. Barbar
Tempe guessed the true state of the case
but she was satisfied. There being no
engagement, she felt sure that time, tick
elness and her great ally, this present
world, would do all she wanted"
II regret what has happened" she said
gracefully, 'and I regret it not alone on
your account, but on my own. l should
have been pleased with the connection.
l hope you will prosper and be happy,
for am sure you deserve it,
Egerton Doolittle, having, after careful
intellectual filtration, so to speak, got the
facts of the Brents' case fairly deposited
in his mind, expressed great commisera-
ton for the two men as he called them.
He told Car that "we ought all to give
our minds to the thing" and see what
can be done. And after long period of
cogitation he informed his wife that he
had hit on a plan which would restore
the fortunes of the Brents, and of this he
made great point-without their under
taking anything that could not be done
"with clean hands,"
"a gentleman under no circumstances
should soil his hands, Egerton said !;
land the great merit Of what propose is
that it can be done with clean hands,"
Car at first thought that this implied
that the pursuit Egerton had in his mind
was one morally defensible, or not felo-
nious; but it appeared that he referred
only 10 aristocratic notions and tradi-
tions.
"My plan is this" Egerton said, after
three quarters ofan hour preamble which
II hear there is e new joint stock opera
company going to be started. Let them
take shares in that. 1t will be gentle
manly, musical kind OF thing, and the
great point is it can be done with clean
hands"
Caroline, not being able to see the prac-
tical value of this suggestion, Egerton
resolved to open his scheme to his great
law, Goldmore. The elephan-
tine millionaire was forced, for courtesy's
sake, to listen while Doolittle, in speech
of extraordinary length and maddening
circumlocution, brought out his preface;
but, veXed as he was, he could not re-
strain his laughter when the young man
wound up with the recommendation that
Brent senior and junior should take
shares in the forthcoming Italian Opera
Joint Stock company.
my great point is, Goldmore," said
Egerton, "that it is gentlemanly musi-
cal sort of thing, and one that can be
carried OH with clean hands. I think
gentleman should never soil his hands,
Goldmore, don't you?'
1.-THE difficulty is,'' replied the great