The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-10-27


 and Britishers, he admires them"
 "And suppose if I were to ask you to be my wife, he'd"
 "Lsn-ce-lot
 "Pan-siei Well?"
 The girl became absorbed in the study of her own feet; but Lancelot could see the color mounting to her face. So he continued:
 q suppose you wouldn't have me if I were to ask you2"
 But before Pansie chose to reply they were at the house, from the porch of which Miss Aurelia Penless was glaring at them through a pair of black spectacles.
 "Mind what I say, you young peo- ple," was the greeting of the maiden aunt. "One of these fine evenings you will catch your deaths of cold. You go and make yourselves hot over that stupid tennis, and you come sumter ing back in the chilly air, in defiance of all hygienic rules and regulations.
 "Bless your heart, aunt?" said Lance- lot, "we've finished playing 8 long time."
 "Then why didn't you come straight home?" retorted Miss Aurelia. "Pan- sic, if I send you back to Athena House with cold, I shall have such a letter from Miss Sage to begin with, and such doctors bill to end with, that should never forgive myself"
 "Don't you fret yourself, auntie p exclaimed Pansie, throwing her arms round Miss Aurelia's neck and kissing her, her favorite method of getting everything her own way at Furnace Court. "Where's Aunt Julia2"
 "She's dressing for dinner, and as it wants but ten minutes to seven, you had best go and do likewise" replied the modified Miss Aurelia.
 That evening after dinner, when, according to custom, the little party separated into two groups, the elder and the younger, there were two very serious conversations held.
 The conclusion at which the aunts arrived over the bezique table was that matters between Pansie and Lancelot had gone far enough, and that it was the most fortunate thing in the world that Pansie was going back to Athena house the next day. Up to this vacation, the notion that Pansie would captivate any man had never disturbed the peace of mind of the Misses Penless, for she had return ed from the last term but one lanky, unattractive, awkward schoolgirl 1; but when she came home for the mid summer holidays, after a long term of nearly four months, they were aston- ished to see what an alteration for the better time had wrought in her, and would certainly have hesitated before inviting young man like Lancelot Selfe to spend his vacation with them, could they have foreseen it.
 Not that there was any thing obiec- tionble in a match between the young English barrister and the pretty American girl, from an ordinary point of view, but that they were under the strictest injunctions from the other side of the Atlantic to keep strict watch on Pansie, and they had suffici- ent reasons for keeping on friendly terms with Colonel Wyman.
 The conclusion at which the couple arrived at behind the shelter of the piano was that they were destined for each other, and that neither could conveniently exist without the other that school was tyrannous institu- tion for girl of nineteen; that maiden aunts, however kind and useful in other ways, were rather troublesome when courtship was in progress; and that it was almost criminal to yield to the unreasonable prejudices of par ents.
 The evening post delivery was an important event at Furnace court, and 1t would have amounted almost to sacrilege for any one to propose an adjournment to bed before the hour of it's arrival, which was usually as the clocks were striking ten.
 The budget upon this evening was small, but important, comprising two American letters, one for Miss Aurelia Penless, the other for Pansie.
 Pansie opened hers and read comfort tably enough until she came to a par agraph which made the color fly from her cheeks, and which read as follows:
 "And now my dear girl, as calcu- late this ought to reach you about the time you will be returning to school after the midsummer vacation, let me exhort you to make the most of the few weeks before you, as 1t is my intention to remove you from school at Christmas, in order that you may re- turn to America. I shall look for ward to seeing finished, accomplished young lady; and there is someone else here who is anticipating your arrival quite as anxiously as I am. Of course l mean Mir. Jem Forrest. I see no reason whatever why, with the ex- traordinary advantages you have en- joyed you should not be ready to take