The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-29

knowing where she was going every
time she went out and where she had
been every time she came in? 1t
seemed to Emilia that, having reached
the age when her hand was promised in
marriage and her wedding day all but
fixed, ehe might be considered able to
take care of hel self without fear Of dis
regarding the conve nances; and she
did not know why she should conform
herself to the i'd, as of q woman bl ought
up in French convent, as Mrs. MARI
boro had been, nor why her father ex-
pected her, at the age of twenty, to
obey this meddlesome and tyranDical
interloper. She was perf,c city willing
TO obey her father, but Mis-. Marlboro
| no.
If Mrs. Marlboro rad had either Ia ct
or discretion or fine feeling, it would
have been different. But she had been
placed here to- command and she in
Tended to command; and, finding a re-
fractory subject, she in nowise ceased
the effort, for strife was her element ;
and if the peace that she brought into
the house out of chaos was won after
the fashion of those who make a wilder
ness and call it peace, it made the
house very much more comfortable to
Emiia's father than it had ever been
before. She had no positive hostility
to Emilia, although she knew she
would re glad when she was out of the
house; but until she was out of the
house she must obey orders, That the
orders, sometimes reasonable, were
more fro quenlly unreasonable, it was
not in Mrs. Marlboro's power to see !;
they were simply orders; and she had
told Emilia's father that if she could
not be obeyed she would not stay ; and
the father, with the Renaissance still
fresh of household of unruly boys,
who, in their turn, would not obey
Emilia, had announced to his assembled
family that Mrs MlrIbOro's will was to
be the law or he would know the rea-
son why; and he could not in the least
understand why Emilia should be un-
pleasant about it, which angered Emilia
all the more. For it seemed a singular
injustice that this person should come
between her and her father and should
say what she should have and what she
should not have; if she yielded in one
thing she might have to yield in
another; and who knew where the
woman would stop? She might even
forbid Theodore the house! No,
though; she knew very well that that
would not be done. Theodore had a
million of money; Theodore, upright,
true, brave, brilliant, gentle-no doors
were closed to The odore. 1t is true
that Mrs. Marlboro had more than
once insinuated that Theodore's money
was off color; that is, that his father
| IoI - in frola parEono hot
was the reason why Theodore had the
goodness, the brilliancy, the strength
he had, she said; his parents bad not
had the time to dissipate health of
brain and body in idle pleasure till
there was nothing of either left for
their children. Theodore had common
sense, at any rate; he saw how dis.
agreeable this commanding and un-
lovely woman was; but it was only for
a little while at most, for Emilia, and,
without doubt, the boys needed just
such an officer over them, he said.
"Put yourself outside her sphere Of
thought
"Outside? A mile, league, uni
verse outside!" cried Emilia.
sit will be mile, very DON -
"And oh, when come down here
for an hour then, won't make it merry
for herl"
g. shall not let you come down then.
The boys and your father shall come up
to US; and we will give poor Anna a
long breath as often as may be. Do
you know, Emilia, it sometimes seems
impossible seems as if it were dream
that such happiness is too much for
mOrtals -
"Ohl" said Emilia, " ought TO have
such happiness to compensate me for
having that woman in the same house
with me. Oh, what dreadful house
it isl"
"No house can be dreadful that has
you in it'll" he said.
81 don't know" said the guilty little
Emilia, the color mounting till the long
lashed brown eyes had to droOp. CT
l am afraid-oh, l don't do much to
prevent its being unpleasant But what
can one do in a house where ones
worst nature is all the time aroused -
"Only one thing. Leave it, ,ove, as
soon as may be. We needn't wait for
all this finishing and furnishing.
may have to take foreign journey a
| NOoPiO Va ihOhNho oOOhNi thoh L ga
pected. And why should go alone?"
"No, no. Every one knows that
that June-,hat it is for June, and June
it must be. And decentralization
the things that are being made in
Paris -
"What do they matter?"
"a whole trousseaul'
"We can go over and get them"
mo, no, oh mol Don't, Theodore
don't say another world 1 shall not
dare TO utter my little pet erumble at
you if you do. No-I will take Madame
as discipline, and try to let her have
her perfect way. This is the winter of
our discomfort, you see"-
" But summer and June will comel"
he said;" and what glorious summer
it is going to bel" And when huge
box came to her, later in the evening,
containing half a hundred great blush
ing roses, dewy and glittering on their
long stem S, Emilia made no resistance
10 Mrs. Marlboro's lifting them from
the box as she insisted on doing, fol-
she herself had the card in its sealed
envelop on which The odore had written