Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-12-22


Gust so that is exactly what mean. Men
fall desperately in love with pretty face
you can't help knowing that yours is pretty
face, and am only making myself the echo
of your looking-glass in telling you SOL say
men fall in love with pretty faces, and they
express themselves in impassioned terms, and
the owners Of the faces are naturally fiattered,
and often, unfortunately for themselves, give
all that is asked OF them without even con-
sidoring what they are likely to receive In re-
turn. Now, my dear Chris, do you think you
can trust me sufficiently to believe me when
! tell you that lover and a husband are two
totally different beings? A lover may be this,
that, or the other; so long as he says Il love
you loudly enough and often enough, he will
do very well for most people. But husband,
il he is to be at all satisfactory, must have
other qualifications-a good temper. good
moral character, above all and beyond all an
ample income. 1t sounds prosaic, know !;
but upon the whole one looks rather to prose
than to poetry for o simple and straightfor
ward statement Of facts"
Chris began to laugh. 81 think understand
what you mean" said she, land it is kind Of
you to put me on my guard. But really there
is no need. I am not going to marry Mr..
Ellacombe, even if he asks me-"
With an outburst OF engaging candor, Lady
Barnstaple confessed that her remarks had
not been Intended to apply to Mr.. Ellacombe
Mr.. Ellacombe was not perfect, but perhaps he
was no worse than his neighbors, and his in
come, at any rate, was good solid fact. "He
offended you last night, know; and far be
it from me to fight his battles for him.
would not for the world influence your choice
in any way. But, my dear, you have another
admirer in this house, as dare say you al
ready know. don't think can show you
greater kindness than by warning you, while
it is still time, that Gerald can never marry
you. He is OF age, and he may propose to
you and talk the customary nonsense about
waiting until he is better of; but his father
would certainly not sanction the engagement,
and he can't afford to marry upon his present
means. One knows how that sort of thing
ends. The man gets off scot-free and the girl
is cast adrift, after having been bound down
to refuse all offers during tive or three of the
best years Of her life.'
There was a good deal of common sense in
this speech; but feminine instinct made Chris
perfectly well aware that 1t W., prompted
rather by selhshness than by benevolence.
She Redeemed and replied-perhaps a little
overhastily: "You have no reason to be
frightened, Lady Barnstaple. I dare say it
will make you more comfortable to know that
am engaged already. Don't repeat it to any
body, please; but am engaged in-in sort
of way to Mr.. Richardson. You remember
him at Cannes2"
"That vulgar young manr exclaimed Lady
Barnstaple, really shocked. "My dear girl,
you mustn't think of such thing But only
in a sort of a way, you say. That, I suppose
means that you don't intend to marry hlm?"
There was pause, during which Chris
looked down at her fiEgers and turned round
the diamond and sapphire rings which had
belonged to her mother. 81 don't know" she
answered at length. HE was very kind to me
and he wishes it, though he said was not to
consider myself bound. only promised that
would let him know before engaged myself
to anybody else"
"Ah, there it is I" observed Lady Barnstaple,
with an information which expressed relief and
disappointment in something like equal pro-
portions. "Such an engagement as that is no
engagement at all; one can scarcely call it
even safeguard" she added sorrowfully:
81 have never wished to get rid of Gerald be-
fore, but 1 wish with all my heart that his
father would telegraph for him now.'
Chris could not help feeling little angry.
There was only one thing to be done, and she
was quite willing to do it; but she thought
that, if ever she should be in position to play
the part of hostess. she would submit to any
inconvenience and peril rather than convey
such q hint to one of her guests. However,
she summoned up smile and said, briskly !:
Wouldn't it be almost as we'll if were to tel
egraph to Aunt Rebecca? Then could leave
by the first train tomorrow"
"Oh, my dear child cried Lady Barnstaple,
II never meant to suggest thatl AS long as
you can enjoy yourself and amIse yourself
here, am sure we are only too happy to keep
YOU"
No very great display of obstinacy, how
ever, was required to persuade her ladyship
that, in all the circumstances, she had better
allow her visitor to depart. She was grateful,
she was q little ashamed, and not little
apologize; but she did not refuse to dispatch
a groom with the requisite telegram to Miss
Ramsden, and she breathed more freely after
she had seen the man gallop away.
"You must come back to us later in the
year, my DEAR" she said to Chris, whom she
Kissed affectionately on both cheeks; 'and in
the meantime pray do not let yourself be
drawn into any further en- ngement with
Mr.. Richardson. I can't tell you how dis
tressed should be if you were to throw your
self away upon such a man."
The above colloquy was held before lunch
con- and during that meal Lady Barnstaple
took occasion to announce the decision which
had been arrived at. "Chris says she Is going
| to run away from us tomorrow. tits too bad
of her, but we must hope to tempt her back
again in the autumn"
Such was the formula which commended
itself to the anxious mother, and which, il
may safely be asserted, imposed upon nobody.
Every one, including Gerald, understood quite
well that the young lady had had q hint to
go; and every one, except Gerald, who was
furious, looked sorry for her-which was q
hard thing to bear. The difficulty was how
to get through the afternoon without giving
Mr.. Severne an opportunity of expressing his
indignation, or any other sentiment that he
may have desired to express. Lady Barnsta-
pie, who doubtless perceived this, consider
ately offered to take Chris out for a drive
| and a sufficiently wearisome two hours our
poor heroine had of it, sitting with her back
to the horses, while her hostess and another
old lady discoursed about the difficulty OF
rearing young turkeys, and the absurd prices
that people were giving for orchids, and the
maladies Of their respective grandchildren.
Meanwhile Gerald was taking a solitary
walk and trying to make up his mind what
he ought to do. His father allowed him five
| hundred year and made him an occasional