The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-19
"DORINDA."
From All the Year Round. j
CHAPTER l.

CHAPTER I.
ashes good little girl, and looks it, . me
said.
The duchess uttered q faint shrek
"Goodl Looks good And you calmly
ask me to chaperon girl who looks good
With Sunday school written in her eyes,
and mothers meetings in the set OF her
frocksl My dear Myles, would IS soon
chaperon an angel, whose Tapping wings
would be always creating inconvenient
draughts. to say nothing of being hopelessly
in the way in brougham. Looks good =
She had better be freckled and have sandy
hair. What is the matter with you! To
ask me to take round girl who sits glued
to one seat all the evening; who never by
any chance is asked for more than two
dances by any man in a night; who doesn't
know what to say when she is spoken to;
who sticks to your side, fiat, hopeless,
dull sort of thing, through the whole sea-
son-like the skeleton at the Egyptian
feasts-like the ghost of your own sins
never to be got rid Of No. Myles, will
not do it."
And the duchess looked quite energetic
as she sat up in her silk covered lounge.
The young man laughed.
"She's really not so bad as that, and it Is
an awful life she leads in that dreary old
Derbyshire house, with not q man within
speaking distance but the parson and doc
tor-with no companion in the house. She
used to have an aunt and governess, but
they both died last year, just in time to
prevent Ter being utterly ruined. She
would have become deaconess or nurse,
or something else by this. And that extra
ordinary old uncle OF hers, whom she sees
only at meal times You can't imagine
what q life 1t Is for girl. Besides, she is
distant cousin of yours, and there is no
one else to take her up.''
And pray how did you manage to win so
much of the confidence Of this simple coun-
try maiden!" asked the duchess, with a
quick, keen look from under her darkened
eyebrows.
well, don't exactly know; only, you
see she is allowed to visit the vicarage and
then, being laid up there for several weeks
after that hunting accident had oppor-
tunities of finding out what sort of life she
was leading We used to talk of things
when she came TO have tea with the wears
wife in the afternoons. and l told her l
should speak to you about her."
al see," nodding her head, "you put all
sorts Of notions into her simple country
head and then expect me to realize them. /
have known you since you were baby,
Myles; but didn't expect you would take
advantage OF me like this"
"But you forgot. She is one Of your own
relations. And it does seem little rough
on her that, just for the eccentricities of
cranky misanthrope Of an old man like her
uncle, she should be left out of every
thing"
The duchess looked at him again.
''She is not pretty, or you would have
said SO. She is not fascinating, or you
would have found something else to call
her but good. Left still to find the motive
of your request. Let me think. Now you
have recalled her existence to my mind,
remember that she is an heiress."
II can't afford to marry poor CIR" he
said, meeting her eyes.
$50 that's 1t. What aDout-the Others"
The question was plainly shock, for his
self-control failed him for q second He
rose and stood looking down into the fire.
There is no other,' he said, easily, fac
ing her again, that momentary disturbance
gone from his calm face. "And Dorinda
would like to come to town for the season."
Then he smiled slightly as vision of
slim girl, standing with wind ruffied hair
In q country garden, rose up before him.
Her frock fitted atrociously, her shoes were
clumsy, and she had been unable, till he
taught her of other things to talk of any
thing but the local news and parochal
duties and festivities. But her eyes were
as limpid as an innocent child's, and they
had looked up TO him with such simple faith
and unconscious admiration that some
where down in his own worldly heart he
had felt queer sensation. half laughter.
half shame.
"You have asked me great deal, Myles
Underhill," said the duchess; 'but | will
undertake this impossible country maiden
for you"