Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-01-03

repf$oach could fairly be laid to the charge Of
q stout, good-humored-looking lady who was
shown into Mime. Lavergne's drawing room
one afternoon in the month Of January, and
who lost no time in saying that anybody who
had been q friend to her dear little Chris was
q friSnd Of her own. There is no reason to
doubt that Lady Barnstaple was perfectly sim
cere. She had always been fond OF Chris, and
had shown her affection under other ctrcum-
stances so far as it had been possible for her
to do so; but 500 900 does make a difference,
and there would be very good reason indeed
to doubt tia sincerity Of any lady who should
assert the contrary.
When Chris came into the room she was
warmly embraced, and not less warmly con-
graduated. ST read about your aunt's will
in the Illustrated London News" Lady Barn.
staple said, "and never was more pleased in
my life. Fancy being as rich and living In
such hole However, IL she had lived some
where else she wouldn't have had so much to
leave; so we won't complain. Well, here We
are again, you see; and here 1 suppose We
shall remain until after Easter. Come and
sit down beside me and tell me all your
news"
at don't think have any to tell, Lady
Barnstaple," answered Chris. 81 came here
soon after Aunt Rebecca died, and nothing
has happened to me SINCE"
"Oh p said Lady Barnstaple, to whom this
announcement seemed to come as somewhat
of relief ''then I'll tell you mine, of which
have quite budget. First Of all, have you
seen anything Of that Mr.. Richardson lately%
Chris shook her head.
$50 much the better He is somewhere
abroad, hear, and no doubt he will try to
pick up old acquaintance II he can. 1 don't
know whether you have heard that he levanted
in tho autumn, leaving his accounts unsettled.
Lord Barnstaple saw him once or twice at
Newcastle and heard Of his goings-sn. A most
disreputable young man, by all accounts and
If you should come across him again you had
better look the other way. Well, then, there
is poor Mr.. Ellacombe-what do you think
has happened to poor Mr.. Ellacombe? He
has actually gone and married; and the I'M
fortunate thing is that his wife is q person
whom one can't know. l shall always think
that you are little bit to blame for this
catastrophe, Chris; though Of course one
wouldn't have wished you to prevent it in the
only way In which 1t could have been pre-
vented. After all, perhaps, he may find Mrs.
Ellacombe O congenial companion; for rumor
says that she is not precisely a total abstainer,
and am afraid there can be no question
about his own tendencies"
81 thought you had better opinion of him."
Chris could not help saying.
ooh, we'll, one tries TO hope for the best;
but at all events he is married now, and
there's an end of him. When will you come
and spend o day with US, Chris? Oracle is
longing to sec you and tell you all about her
engagement to Lord Forfar whom 1 think
you saw at Brentstow. He is very nice fell
low in every way, and we arc very much
pleased with the match. and you may con-
graduate us all around If you like"
Chris awaited herself heartily of this gra-
cious permission. She was fond Of Lady
Grace, and though she could not remember
much about Lord Forfar, she remembered
that he was young and good-looking, and
said so.
! YES" Lady Barnstaple answered; land
| what Is even more to the purpose is, that he
| is sure to succeed his father before long, which
will;make him immensely rich. When he left
! England the old man was only kept alive by
brandy and beaten-up eggs; so that one may
reasonably hope to getzthe funeral and de-
cent period of mourning over before the
spring, when, according to present arrange
ments, Oracle is to be married"
DIR. Lavergne, who had come in from the
garden and had been duly presented to Lady
Barnstaple, was so tickled by these last words
that he could not repress an abrupt chuckle |;
whereupon his visitor stared at him for n mo-
ment and then joined in his merriment quite
good-humoredly.
81 thought she remarked, that you didn't
understand English"
The doctor explained that, although he did
not speak our language, he understood it a
little. "And," added he, with a bow, 81 am
beginning to understand tho English char
acter, for which entertain the warmest adj
miration. You have, if may be permitted
to say SO, a frankness Of speech which no
other nation can attempt to rival"
WELL" said Lady Barnstaple, getting up,
"some of us have; but don't know that it is
exactly q national characteristic. In our
class ono meets with quite a large number OF
people who say what they think, because
there really is no reason why they shouldn't
but tho English bourgeois is q sad imposter
like the bourgeois Of other countries, and he
is always inclined to shy at his own shadow
as they all are"
Possibly these sentiments may have nettled
the doctor, whose republicanism was that OIL
the year 1S4S or 1t may be that he was little
bit jealous Of Lady Barnstaple, who uncere-
moniously arranged that Chris should spend
} the whole of the next day with her, and
seemed to take it for granted that the CIR
would be only too glad of an outing. Any
how, his visitor had no sooner departed thar
he observed, "She is droll miladi, and she
has an air Of being very outspoken; but an
i. not convinced that she says quite all that She
thinks, or that she is not just as capable o
J Matching transparent little plots as any bour
: geoise in France or England. Have you
. Journal des EtrangOrs, my dear?"
Nine. Lavergne was sorry that she had not
"What do you want it for, mon amir" she in
! quired, innocently.
= "Oh, I was only curious to see whether Mr.
} Severne had arrived from Paris yet; but per
haps 1t will not be until the next list is ISSUED
l that we shall find his NAME" replied the doc
? tor, trctting out rapidly into the garden, a
! his habit was then no wished to avoid beini
3 called upon to explain himself.
. CHAPTER XVII.
/ In justice to DIR. Lavergne, it must be re
Al,.,h hc had