Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-04-14

diced, perhaps, by the coarse Garden
gloves
you like Mrs. Browning, then?"
she asked suddenly.
81 do indeed" said l.
"And Lady Geraldine's Courtship'
particularly"
"Particularly. That is the favor
tie with most people. 1t is so capti-
vatingly sentimental and romantic
that we can overlook the improbable
ity of the story"
"What improbability?
admit form opinions on grounds
which seem insufficient when de-
manded of lde With such suddenness.
| hesitated.
"Perhaps you ttnsider Lord Wal
ter's Wife improbable, " she went on.
/ had no hesitation now.
YES" Her eyes dwelt on mine a
moment
(Which is improbable-the lady or
the MANI"
1.-The lady" l answered.
I have never seen such a dignity of
merrime,>t as her eyes displayed at
my answer.
you are hard upon him." she
said, land perhaps, by implication,
still harder upon her. No, that's not
fair. But you must believe in Lord
Walters wife in future, or at least
only disbelieve in the man"
l could not quite follow her. she
thought too fast for me, but | re-
membered what she said afterwards,
and | thought over it, and | fancy
that l have appreciated what she
meant. At any rate | have certainly
believed in the lady. Clever laughed
when | told MIN so once, not an UNI
kind augh. Clewer's laugh is never
unkind.
She had finished her lunch, my
lunch, and sat for little while look
ing across the fields. ] do not think
she minded my looking at her, in fact
! am inclined to believe that it was
out of consideration for me and as
sort of recompcnse that she stayed to
allow of my doing so.
But she turned her bead towards
me presently and said:
y
over now" SO fetched my hamper
and packed up my things, gathered
UP her peoples, and put them into
the bows of the randan, and then,
with an effort which disposed me to
! estimate the subsistence of the
Thames since | landed as at least "a
foot, forced the boat out on to the
water and drew it in sideways.
My Lady Geraldine stepped in
lightly, and sat down on the cushions.
l decided that the stroke seat was the
right place for me after all.
Il think / see a road coming down
to the river" / said, pointing fifty
yards down stream to the right banS.
"Shall / land you there?"
"If you please.
! proceeded TO sculf her along very
carefully. was anxious not to make
an exhibition Of myself, and my row.
ing is apt to splash sometimes. In
five minutes / had put her ashore
without disaster.
/ bound up the sheaf of peoples
with the string from my hamper,
having first collected them out of the
bows. 1t was during this collection
that she remarked that need not be
so very careful over one or two, and
slight smile flickered around her
mouth as she said So / have those
odd peoples still. though l am not
sure whether / received express per-
mission to keep them.
She put the bundle rnder her left
arm and her right hand into her
pocket and produced penny.
"My fare" she said, holding it out
in the palm of her glove.
hesitated a moment. / did not
see why she should be particular
about paying for her ferfying over in
coin of the realm, considering that
she had made no such return for her
lunch. However. / recollected that
my cold lamb was worth more than
the twopence she possessed, and was
glad of it, too. | took the penny; l
have the penny also still.
'As for the rest" she said, 81
can only thank you, and the best way
to thank you is to take your kindness
as mater of course, isn't itp"
This was way of looking at the
matter which took my fancy; it
was 80 entirely right and kind and
womanly. Why do not more women
treat us so? / bowed my assent. l
had nothing to say. Perhaps | looked
rather downcast at parting. II did
looked what felt. She consoled me
with another compliment.
and think" she added, "that, in
spite Of my telling you that have
two miles to walk you will not offer
to cawy my poppies for me-"
Not Il suspicion of mcckery came
into her eyes as she said this. They
were perfectly steady, and the words
and her manner of speaking them
conveyed such an expression of conf
dence in my readiness TO appreciate
and acknowledge the exact point at
which my services ceased to be re-
quisite that ] could only bow my as
sent TO this also
My silent acquiescence seemed to
please her. She drew off her right
glove, though with some difficulty, for