The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-04-26
Is the wife Of an earl one day. Z

s'An eaTlrS said the American lady.
ssAnd your wife would be a countess. !
ann sure that would be very nice.
would not allow myself to be influenced
| by anything of the sort, but when a
gentleman is as nice as as -
ssOh, Mrs. Morgan, do be good to me
and say that am NICE" plead Roy.
80 you are then, replied the matron,
with an air of mature coquetry, very
nice. And of course one wishes to sec
ones young people do well. And | have
always been ayerse to Eugenie's going
upon the stage, even in opera. I'd much
rather she would marry"
"Then you will help me?" Roy asked.
"All / can" said Mrs. Morgan.
After that he always asked for Mrs.
Morgan when he came, and she was very
kind to him, and Eugene as cold as any
iceberg. She knew that he loved her;
he made no secret of it, and she was
very sorry for little Maisie and very con-
temptuous of him.
When Mrs. Morgan told her Of his
brothers dangerous illness and his ex-
pectations she began to hate him, it
seemed SO cruelty heartless in him to
calculate on such chances. She avoided
him as much as possible, but one even
ing, by Mrs. Morgan's aid, the girl
found herself entrapped into tete-a-tete
with Roy.
It was evident that he was anxious to
talk seriously about something, and she
was determined that he should not. The
moment they were left alone she went
to the piano and ran her fingers over the
keys
''Shall sing you the last new balladr'
she asked. And without waiting for an
answer began the prelude. She was well
aware that he did not care to hear her,
but she sang on and on, following one
song with another, until her repertoire
was nearly exhausted. She gave him
German songs, French songs, English
ballads, selections from Italian opera,
she cared not what, SO that by singing
she siienced him. But at last he came
to her and deliberately took her hands
from the keys.
s'Miss Ashton" he said, 'splease stop.
want to talk to you. think you know
it. Won't you listen to me?"
"It appears to me that have no
choice" she replied, rising.
81 know exactly what your manner
MEANS he said. lyon believe / am
treacherous to Maisie, that am betroth-
ed to her. confess it hurts me that
you should think that suitable thing.
am not very vain, but, really, though
know am fanliliarly mentioned at the
Bunnys' as Maisie's sweetheart, feel
hurt Eugene lifted her eyebrows.
He went on: s'Now you consider me a
puppy" he said. "Do let me explain. A
year ago we all Thought my brother, the
earl, would recover, and we are not q
rich family, and |, as a younger brother,
have nothing. Everybody in England
who has no money is going in for trade
nowadays. It was suggested to me; /
was not averse to the idea, and felt it
would free me from the suspicion of
waiting for dead mems shoes and the
absurdity of living ON expectations, and
was thinking of it when Bunny came
back home on visit. Bunny had been
helped in his youth by my father, who
gave him few pounds to go and seek
his fortune, and it amuses us all to think
that he should be one of the American
miIlionaires.
when he came over he presented
himself at Clifford House, and they con-
graduated him and all that, and when
he had gone found that he had offered
- - a 10
would come to the states.
ut was q great offer, for, plain as you
see him, Bunny is quite at the top of the
heap among business men.
well, Icame over, and he received
me with open arms. You would not UNI
derstand the business part of the matter,
even if it were not too tedious to go over,
Miss Ashton; but here was IN Mr..
Bunny's place of business, favored as few
young men ever are, and everything de-
pended on his action. Mr.. Bunny is a
sort of Napoleon in his own empire.
s'Well, one day he said to me, Clifford,
you 'aven't hever sweetheart across the
'errin' pond, ave you?
"tOh, no., said /.
Honor bright, said he. I laughed
and told him that as to that / would
take my oath if he required it.
g Your word will do, Clifford, he said.
Now, I've a plan for you. My wife as
a little friend we're as fond of as we
would be of daughter. She's nota very
pretty girl, but she as the makins of as
good wife as hever was, and I've no
kin, nor the niissus either. l can make
my will as please, and Maisie will be
an heiress Then there is partnership
for the man that marries 'er. You come
mp to my 'ouse and see FER. Come to
dinner tomorrow
lie did not wait for an answer, but
toddled away.
We'll, naturally, | went to dinner at
Bunnys. You've been to dinner at
Bunny's; needn't describe the feast"
ooh, no. They are so kind to one, so
anxious to make one enjoy ones self, !"
said Eugenie
Exactly" said Clifford. Spy the
time | was allowed to stop eating, nv
ability to think or act had vanished. i
was really apprehensive of apoplexy.
Then they put me in a large chair, and
Mr.. Bunny babe Maisie give us tune
"The piano tinkied; prayed heaven
that | might not suore; at intervals
said Charming. Then they handed me
cake and wine Maisie had little bows
-