The morning call., 1892-08-21
MY LAST PROPOSAL

had made other declarations OF love,
all of them unsuccessful, | was glad to
think, and vet here L was at 40-weli, let us
say between IS and 4o-shivering on the
brink Of another proposal l had just come
home to my rooms in Kings Bench Walk
after dining at the Barndores. Or course,
/ had met little Mrs. Winterton there; of
course had taken her to dinner-the world
we both lived in was bringing US together in
that sort of way-and equally of course
was soon dreaming over the fire, of her
slim, taut little figure in its dainty black
silk setting. had always liked the name
of Kate, thought; it was homely, COM
Portable, and yet not commonplace.
Yes. it would DO very WELL Neither
lad | any narrow minded aversion
TO widows. i felt that il Mrs. Wnterton
who had tried the holy state of matTimony
once, cared to try il again, it was scarcely
for Inc, no had no experience, 10 raise OBJ
Jections. / had always regarded Weller the
elder as dull man OF blunied sentiments.
who somewhat deserved his fate. The ext
gencies Of his profession. too. were not cal
cuiated TO promote connubial bliss In legal
slang, his case was not on all Tours with
mine. and l knew that Mrs. Ninterion AID
j could easily Tefute what one may can the
Veteran fallacy If we wish 20 do so. But
did we wish to. and why should we wish to p?
These were the questions troubling my mind
at this moment
was too old to pretend to a mad, Despair
ing passion. Kate was too sensible. But
we were both almost alone in the world.
and this, | think, had brought US closer to-
gether and made us rather like old friends
than new aeQuaiDtabees.
She was bright, witty, cheerful. and-yes,
think she was pretty. She had a nice
lite fortune. too, people said, but | had
charged myself hundred times with car
ing for that. and always acquitted myself
honorably with cheers in court. l did not
lack money; my wants were few, and
could supply them without painful or
anxious labor. Ne: / was ia love with
Kate Ninterton, that was the fact, let me
face 1t braveiy.
Lighting a candle, for the shaded lamp
was insufficient for my purpose, rose aud
looked in the mirror over the mantelpiere.
The candle made the worst of things, l
thought; it seemed to bring out all the
lines in my face, and there certainly were a
good many firmly etched on nv forehead.
But where is the harm in a few lines in a
mans face? They give it character. And
when L looked at my features, there was
no doubt about it, they were elean-cut.
shapeiy-wen, l mlghhfalmost say--hand-
and there are things that one learns from
ones parents that are never forgotten in
after life. So far | was passing my exam
ination creditabiy, If not with honors; but
4
shODe upon a wider parting than was either
necessary or ornamental. Jackson, the
hairdTeSSer, used to say with professional
sniff Of sympathy, "Ah, sir, them barTiS-
teTs' wigs do bring the 'air off,; but he
knew as well as | did that | did not pur my
sion 10 do so. So l lowered the candle
hastily, and then, stepping back a few
PAGES, took long look at myself deciding
that my mustache fairly Cancelled the part
Trarr F-FA ~srh
in the middle distance than | had in the
foreground. / have heard people call me
modest: others | know said | was duh; one
or two-chiefly those whose books | had re-
wed-said l was stupid, meaning by that
honest. Well, well, | said to myself taking
a last leok in the glass. things might have
been worse for man who is over for.
mean between 35 and 40
1 made up my FIRE and lit my pipe again.
Kate liked tobacco, | thought TO myself
with a smile, or the thing would never do.
Then l began to dream again. Yes, l
would propose 20 Kate. "Proposer The
very word called up a host of memories.
had proposed before this. | began TO recol-
leet. and had been rejected Well, thai too
might have been worse. might have been
accepted. aud then l should new er have seen
Kate. | shut MY eyes and travelled in men,
CRY through strange scenes of the past.
was at Lady Haberly's, standing in the
large conservatory that leads out of the
"
Is years ago-with tall. bright girl Of two
and-twenty. / could see her brown, honest
eyes and truthful face framed Ia rudy curls
floating before me. Had she led me on,
DANGLING about my quiet paths, or had
l rushed out OF my native element
and jumped at her open-mouthed
ike a silly trout at well-made
West-end fly? Never mind now [ shall
never forget her naughty indignation, her
sapeTb establishment, and yet she was only
i
eTar had pedigree, and / know l cut a
very poor figure on that occasion in conse-
quenee. She married a wealthy American
soon afterward. / wonder what sort OF a
pedigree he hadi As for me. / kept lock
Of her hair. and wrapped it up in a news
paper cutting two years after her marriage,
when she was the heroine Of some sad legal
proceedings that many will remember.
But it was cruel, ugly way Of keeping the
foolish relic, and L burnt II long ago. l am
glad to say. saw her at Brighton quite re-
Gently. Her eyes were still brown and
beautiful, still honest, perhaps, to those
who did not know her story. Why should
! recall ii? | escaped.
Then there was a tiny, plump sprightly
girl used 10 meet at Aunt HarcourGs She
was the miller's daughter. 1t sounds TO
mantle enough, but it was a steam mill, and
is long ago turned into 8 limited liability
company. l cannot remember her name.
nor the color OF her eyes. but she sang me
Kathleen MaYOurneen, and | leaned on
the piano looking into those eyes, though
have no notion to-day what their color was.
And we danced together and sang due rs.
What pathos l could throw into III y plaidie
to the angry ART, I'd shelter thee" / used to
think she felt il; SO did Aunt Hareourt, VIII o
was very eager for NE to settle down." as
she called il, and was always harping on tn e
miller's daughter and saying, 'Ah, James,
what nice little wife she would make, to
be sureW So one evening when aunt had
left us alone. dear, foolish old aunt, and We
had looked into the fire long time Ia awk-
ward silenee-I was very young then
suggested the "Cauld Blast" for we had
only one duet and indeed very little else in
common that l can remember. But our
hands met in the search for the music, as
hands will meet in this world, and then
Well, well; ] recollect IL all ia accurate de-
tail, except the color OF her eyes. And she
was a very good, kind little girl, and SO
sorry to grieye me by saying no, but she
loved another. And the other was the cur
ate, and after two or three years waiting
they got married, and they have 10 or II
children now, / fancy. / was heartbroken
at the time, / know, but perhaps IL was as
well as it was.
That was net my first proposal. though,
for my heart received a severe fracture at a
very early age-when / was about Ii,
think. A pasty-faced, yellow-haired girl
captivated my affections in those early days.
She was my schoolmaster's daughter. All
] was in love then. / wrote her verses.
Such verses! teeming with feyered passion
and perfect marvels of rhythm and orthog-
Tapby. 1 even produced set OF Latin
verses singing her praises, and these cost
me infinite toll, though l remember she did
not much care for them. But my suit pros
pered. bought her toffee and hardbake-
sticky embems of loye-and penned her
long epistles burning with romantic deyo-
ton, and she ate my toffee and wrote
me sweet nothings in return. Betsy,
the cook. carried our letters. and the
postage was a heavy claim on my pocket
money. But then there was no tick with
Betsy, so denied myself other pleasures,
as lover should do. Indeed, / dedicated