Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-01-01
CHAPTER VIII.
4 PAINFUL PREpIC AMEST.

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When these two friends were left to-
gether Lord Cruise threw himself back
in his chair and laughed until the tears
came into his eyes.
Upon my word" he exclaimed, this
is about the best joke have ever heard
Off
1t may be-" answered Percy rather
grimly, though some people might think
that it was a little spoilt by being so i'll
natured-"
Ill natured, What do you mean?
You look as if you meant ME, but | hope
you aren't so unjust as that. Is it my
fault that three men over whose actions
I have no control-excep- the limited
control which they have been so kind as
to give lue-flave seen fl to play the
fool at one and the same time? l suppose
may call that singular coincidence a
joke without giving offense, may not:"
YES: but what you are chuckling
over is the way in which you have check
mated Us all. don't deny that it is funny:
only don't call it exactly friendly"
''Thorold, you are very ungrateful.
Much as ! dislike matrimony in the alb
stract. | fully recognize the fact that
well to do men with domestic proclivi-
ties are bound to marry. and if my voting
for you would have done you any good
you shoald have had my vote. To the
best of my knowledge and belief Miss
Leslie is unexceptionable: but Moreton
and Schneider, you see, think otherwise.
/ can't help that"
''And have only myself to thank for
the absurd fix that | am in. That is true
enough, suppose: but at any rate have
to thank you for suggesting this foul
project. What on earth made you do it,"
Lord Guise lighted fresh cigar. tuck
ed one leg under him and swung the
other too and fro laziiy.
My dear fellow he replied, Il will
be perfectly candid with you. confess
that 1 started this society with a special
as well as general object, and l trust
you won't think me unfriendly when /
tel! you that that special object was your.
welfare. You are so evidently marry
ing man that l foresaw how easily you
would be captured again. and l wished
to protect you against widows and girls
in their fourth season and other design
ing persons. | wasn't even quite certain
that L might not have to protect you
once more against Sybil Belvoir herself,
for that woman is So capricious and SO
malignant that nobody except d harden
7 L
sidered safe from her
7--s only wish she would try her hand
q" exclaimed Percy, who was not
.gratified by this avowal of benevo-
mt interest in his private affairs
Il sincerely wish she would answer
ed Lord Guise with laugh: that would
keep her out of mischief for time and
it wouldn't do me any harm. But you
may depend upon it that she won't. She
prefers to practice her arts upon an I'M
fortunate wretch like Moreton, who had
the audacity to imagine that he could
resist her, or upon millionaire like
Schneider. whom she may have thought
of marrying. ! wonder whether she
would have married him? They say she
has been outrunning the constable of
late, You know
Il don't know anything about it," re-
turned Percy impafiently: 1T is no
business of mine, and why you should
look upon it as your business | can't
think
For the sake Of my weaker breth-
ren, replied Lord Guise, Il feel it my
duty to keep watchful eye upon the
ways and wiles of the other sex. Schnei-
der will live TO thank me with tears in
his eyes
Possibly, and l dare say it is because
am more selfish than You that don't
care a little bit what becomes of Schnei-
der. What l should like to know, if you
could tell Ine-but Of course you can't
j. how 1 am to account TO Miss Leslie
for my extraordinary behavior. As
fully intend asking her to be my wife in
January next l must manage to find
some reason which won't sound hope
lessly inadequate for taking no notice
of her between now and then"
''That;s easily done. Go to Persia, or
China, or Japan, or some such place.
Parliament will be up in week Oh two,
and you won't be wanted again before
February, so that you will be quite free
TO leave the country. Tell her you want
to study the working of the Chinese con-
stitution, or that You are anxious to pick
M some specimens of ancient japanese
art before the last of them is Sold
'Yes," agreed Thorold glocmily, II
suppose that is what l shall have to say.
/ should think there was very little
! chance of her believing me. though"
Lord Guise shrugged his shoulders.
.sOh, 1 dare say she won't quite believe
you" he admitted: but that, as told
You before, is entirely your own fault.
You ought 70 have consulted us before
you gave her to understand that you
loved her"
Strictly speaking. Percy had not gone
zquite so far as that: still he had gone far
enough to give his abrupt retreat very
ugly look, and it was with shame as
swell as grief in his heart that he set
forth on the ensuing Wednesday after
moon to keep the appointment he had
made with Miss Leslie. Now III making
that appointment it had occurred to him
that Mrs. Leslie would be terribly in his
way. and he had wondered how he
sshould contrive to get her out of the
room Just for few minutes; but now
he desired nothing more ardently than
the presence of this third person, be-
cause, of course, what he had to say
could be much more easily said to the
two ladies together than to one Of them
alone.
( Surely, however. he might have known
better than to imagine that no chance of
speaking private word to Dorothy
would be given him. Mothers who give
euch chances are usually sneered at; yet
aow can the poor things help themselves?
IF we ourselves were mothers, and ii we
had reason to suppose that young man
Of large means and excellent character
desired to say something particular to a
laughter of ours. and if there was but
ne occasion left on which he could say
j. what should we do2 1t seems exceed
s,gly likely that we should act precisely
8 Mrs. Leslie acted, and arrange to have
/ n old lady at tea with rs on the arrival
! 4 the young man. The tea table is in
ne back drawing room; there lis folding
f,reen between it and the arm chair in
Exhich you have planted the old lady;
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