San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-14
MISS BRETHERT0N
By MRS. HUMPHREY WARD,
AUTHOR OF ROBERT ELsMERE.'


Worrall said in his bland commercial way
that society had its burdens as well as its
pleasures, and that his dear niece could
hardly escape her social duties after the fiat
tering manner in which London mad wei
coined her Miss Bretherton answered, with
a sort of langud rebellion, that her social
duties would soon be the death of her. But
evidently she is very dociic at home, and
they do what they like with her. 1t seems
TO me that the uncle and aunt are good deal
shrewder than the London public; it is borne
in upon me by various indications that they
know exactly what their nIece's popularity
depends on, and that it very possibly may
not be long lived one Accordingly they
have determined on two things: first, that
she shall MAKE as much money for the family
as can by any means be made, and, secondly,
that she shall find her way into London soci.
ETY. and secure if possible great parti before
the enthusiasm for her has had time to chill
One hears various stories of the uncle, all in
this sense; l cannot cay how true they are
However, the upshot of the supper party
was that next day Wallace, Forbes and met
at Mrs Stuart's house and formed Sunday
league for the protection of Miss Bretherton
from her family; in other words, We mean to
secure that she has occasional rest and coun-
try air on Sunday-her only free day. Mrs
Stuart has already wrlIng out of Mrs. Wor
rail-, by little judiclouS soaring, permission
to carry her off for two Sundays-one this
month and one next-and Miss Brethertons
romantic side, which is curiously strongSin
her, hos boon touched by the suggestion that
the second Sunday shall be spent at Oxford
Probably for the first Sunday-a week
hence-we shall 60 to Surrey. You remem.
Der Hugh Farnham's property near Leith
HlllI know all the farms about there from
old shooting days, and there is one on the
edge Of some great commons which would lie
perfection on a May Sunday. | will write
you a full account of our day The only rule
laid down by the league is that things are to
bs 50 managed that Miss Bretherton is to
have no possible excuse for fatigue SO long as
she is in tue hands of the society.
My book goes on fairly well. have been
making long study Of De Musset, with the
result that the poems seem to me far finer
than bad remembered, and the Confessions
dun Eufant du Steele u miserable per.
lormance How was is it impressed me so
much when read it firsta His poems have
reminded me of you at every step Do you
remember how you used to read them aloud
TO our mother and me a. ter dinner, while tbs
lather had his sleep before going down 20 the
housef'
Ten days later Kendall spent long Monday
evening in writing the following letter to his
sister;
Our yesterdays expedition vas think, a
great success Mrs. Stuart was happy, be-
cause she had for once induced Stuart to put
away his papers and allow himself a holiday.
It was Miss Bretherton's first sight Of the
genuine English country, and she was like
child among tho gorse and the hawthorns,
while Wallace and amused our manly selves
extremely well i'll befrlendlug the most beau
tiful woman In the British isles, in drawing
her out and watching her strong naive i'm
preSsions Of things Stuart, think, was not
quite happy. 1t Is hardly to be expected of q
lawyer in the crisis Of his fortunes that he
should enjoy ten hours divorce from his
briefs; but he did his best to reach the com
mon level. and his wife, who is devoted to
him. and might as well not be married at all.
from the point of view Of marital companion.
ship. evidently thought him perfection. Tho
lay more than confirmed my liking for Mrs.
Stuart. there are certain little follies about
ner. she is too apt to regard every distin
.uished dinner party she and Stuart attend
an event of enormous and universal inter.
est, and beyond London society her sym
pathes hardly reach, except in that vague
charitable form which is rather pity and
liberation than sympathy. But she is kindly
Uomanly, soft she has no small jealousies
and mono of that petty self consciousness
which makes SO many women wearsome to
the great majority Of plain men, who have
10 wish to take their social exercises too much
au serieux.
81 was curious to sec what sort of rela
tionshlp she and Miss Bretherton had deveI
Oped toward each other Mrs Stuart ia
nothing if noseultvated, her light individ
ual.ty floats eaAly on the stream of London
thought, now with this current, now with
that, but always in movement, never left be-
hind. She has the usual literary and al tistic
topics at her fingers end and SO she knows
Everybody Whenever the mere abstract
sides of n subject begin to bore her, she can
fall back upon an endless store of gossip as
Ively, as brightly colored, and, on the whole.
~ harmless Us she herself is. Miss Bretherton
Dad till a week or two ago but two subjects
Jamaica and the stagc-the latter taken in a
somewhat narrow sense Now she has added
to her store Of knowledge great number OF
first impressions of London notorletles
which naturally throw her mind and Mrs
S!uart's more frequently into contact with
each other But | SEQ that, after all, Mrs
Stuart had no need of any bridges 0: this
Kind to bring her on to common ground with
Isabel Bretherton. Her strong womanliness
and the leaven of warm hearted youth still
stirring in her would he quito enough OF
themselves, and besides, there is a critical de-
light in the girls beauty and the little per.
sonal pride and excitement she nndnnhtei