San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-30
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III.
In spite of her confessed indifference
itwas Gabrielle and not Miss Dunstan
who was the first among the ladies at
Wrexham to effect an introduction to
Esther Hill. One showery day a tenn
pest of rain came on as she happened to
be almost passing Mrs. COulSOn's, and
she ran into the cottage for shelter.
xviii you take me in till the rain is
over, Mrs. Coulson?" she said, putting
her head in at the open door; and Mrs.
Coulson upon this inquiry came from
the kitchen with her arms wet to the
elbows with soapsuds.
''To be sure / will, Miss Gabrielle"
she said; ''but go into the parlor Mrs.
Hills not in), for it's washing day, and
we're having to dry indoors with this
nasty weather, and the Kitchens full of
things. Come this way" and she was
just about to usher Gabrielle into the
best room when, turning her head
quickly to sudden sound of steps on
the wet gravel outside-"Oh! there is
Mrs. Hill" she exclaimed, in rather an
altered tone, and stopped short, irreso-
lutte.
Never mind; will stand here. This
will do perfectly WE'LL" Gabrielle said.
The rain will be over SOON" And
then she stood aside as Mrs. Hill came
under the porch, with her dripping UNI
brella in her hand.
you've been caught in the rain,
ma'am,' said Mrs. Coulson cheerfully.
''Shall L stand the umbrella outside till
the wet runs off it,"
Mrs. Hill, resigned the umbrella with
Thank you" gave one glance
at Gabrielle and passed in.
But when she had reached the parl0r
door she paused there, seemed to hes
itate for a moment, and then turned
her head.
"Mrs. Coulson!" she said; and when
Mrs. Coulson had followed her into the
roOm-sIs that young lady taking shell
ter from the rainp You had better ask
her in here" she said coldly.
"Well, thank you, ma'am-if you're
so kind. It's Miss Lynn from WreX-
ham," said Mrs. COulson.
''You had better ask her in" repeat
ed Mrs. Hill.
Merely the same words said again in
the same utterly Indifferent tone. You
felt as though, if Mrs. CoulsOn had
said, Its the Queen, ma'am, from
Buckingham Palace" it would have
been all the same to Esther Hill.
Without speaking again she passed
on into her bedroom, which adjoined
the parlor; and Mrs. Coulson returned
to Gabrielle, and with little impro-
vised establishment delivered her mes
sage. , ,
brielle, you'll step in and sit down and
rest while the rain lasts" said Mrs.
Coulson in her pleasant, cordial voice.
do come in, for it's heavier on than
ever"
And then Gabrielle went in. Per-
haps. in spite of her denial. even she too
was a little curious about the handsome
widow, and was not sorry to have this
chance of gratifying her curiosity.
The parlor, when she had entered it,
however, was empty, and for ten min
utes no one interrupted her solitude, as
she sat by one of the open windows,
now watching the heavily falling rain
outside, now beguiling the time by TAX
ing note of such changes in the room as
its new owner had effected. Those
changes on the whole were reviewer
by good deal, Gabrielle thought, than
most women would have made in it.
The formal arrangement of the old
fashioned furniture was unaltered; the
six ANIMALS and books of beauty that
for years had stood ranged with mathe-
NAUTICAL precision upon the principal
table in the middle of the room retained
their accustomed place of honor, lit
tie diSarrangement of the chairs, an
open wOrk-boX on a side-table, and
thrown down with apparent careless
ness on one of the window-SeatS-a
large elaborate piece of fine embroidery
were about the only signs that the
room showed of feminine occupation.
Gabrielle looked at the embroidery
from the distance of couple of yards
or so, and shrugged her shoulders at it.
Poor soul, no wonder she is in low
spirits" she thought to herself, ''if she
spends her time sitting alone here sew
ing at that weary thing! There seems
work enough in it to last lifetime
and what will be the use of it to her, l
wonder, when it is done!'
And then she yawned. The rain was
raining as fast as ever, and, since she
was here, she wished the widow would
come.
But the widow had gone. into the adj
joining room with no Intention of
emerging from it till the shower should
be over, and her visitor departed; and
Gabrielle waited and waited for long
time in vain for either entertainment
or deliverance. It was one of those de-
termined showers that sometimes last
an hour or more, descending all the
time with as much passion and eager
ness as if the issue was meant to be ex2
haustiOn in ten minutes. Surely it is
going to clear soonl'' Gabrielle thought
again and again; but yet it did not
clear. and at last Esther Hills patience