San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-15

you, ne admitted; but that, as told
you before, is entirely your own fault
You ought to have consulted us before
you gave her to understand that you
loved her."
Strictly speaking, Percy had not gone
quite so far as that; still he had gone far
enough to give his abrupt retreat very
ugly look, and it was with shame as
well as grief in his heart that he set
forth on the ensuing Wednesday after
noon to keep the appointment he had
made with Miss Leslie. Now in making
that appointment it had occurred to him
that Mrs. Leslie would be terribly in his
way, and he had wondered how he
should contrive to get her out of the
room just for few minutes; but now
he desired nothing more ardently than
the presence Of this third person, be-
cause. of course, what he had to say
could be much more easily said to the
two ladies together than to one of them
alone.
Surely, however, he might have known
better than to imagine that no chance of
speaking a private word to Dorothy
would be given him. Mothers who give
such chances are usually sneered at; yet
how can the poor things help themselves?
If we ourselves were mothers, and if we
had reason to suppose that a young man
of large means and excellent character
desired to say something particular to
daughter of ours, and if there was but
one occasion left on which he could say
it, what should we do? 1t seems exceed
ingly likely that we should act precisely
as Mrs. Leslie acted, and arrange to have
an old lady at tea with us on the arrival
of the young man. The tea table is in
the back drawing room; there is folding
screen between it and the arm chair in
which you have planted the old lady;
you talk to your guest about her sup
pressed govt or some other topic of equal
ly absorbing interest, and you grant the
young man his opportunity without max
ing it too disgracefully apparent that you
are doing so. =.
SO, when Percy Thorold made his APP
pearance at the house in Ebury street,
there, sure enough, was the requisite old
woman, and five minutes afterward he
was seated beside Miss Leslie in COM
parative seclusion. Hard was his fate,
and hard the task which he had to per-
form. 1t is fact, and rather a melan-
choly one-but nobody will deny the
fact-that love, more than any other of
the passions to which we are subject, is
increased by being thwarted. Never
before had Dorothy seemed to him so
charming; never before had he felt in
the same degree the impossiblity Of say
ing even the most commonplace thing
to her without letting her see how he
adored her. He could not help noticing
that her color was little brighter than
usual, that her speech was somewhat
quicker, and that there was suspicion
of nervousness in her manner. 1t was
beyond a doubt that she had guessed
the original object of his visit, and flesh
and blood could hardly withstand the
temptation to give her hint as to the
true position Of affairs. However, he
was an honorable man, and he knew
that he must not daily with that tempta-
ton. To place himself beyond reach Of
it he said rather suddenly:
81 suppose one won't see you again
for an age, Miss Leslie? l am thinking
of betaking myself to the uttermost
ends of the earth until parliament reas-
sembles."
Well, she certainly looked surprised;
but perhaps it may not have been so
much his announcement as the tremu-
Ious voice in which he made it that sur
prised her.
"What do you mean by the utter
most ends of the earth?" she inquired,
smiling. Not Westmoreland, l am
afraid. That is where we shall be for
long time to come"
mo" he answered sadly, not West
moreland had an idea of India and
Japan and San Francisco. | shall hate
the voyages and the journeys, and in
deed the whole thing from beginning to
end; but one comfort is that when it is
over one will never be expected to do it
again"
"Oh, dare say you will enjoy it, she
said carelessly.
II think not; but it is the sort of thing
that has to be done sooner or later. Every
body goes round the world nowadays"
he pleaded, making his GsCiy9 to excuse
himself trife too obvious. "end-and l
think have rather knocked myself up
with these night sittings, and no doubt
[ shall be all the better for complete
change, though the process may not be
altogether pleasant while it lasts. And
then, you know, there is one great adj
vantage of going far away, which is the