The herald., 1894-04-22

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gasping,
They were pretty girls, too, many of
them, but that was all the more dread
full to him He did not mind the palmer
ones half so much A combination of
beauty and intellect reduced him to a
condition of absolute imbecility
He was once caught and introduced
to charming young lady from Newn-
ham, and all he could do was to back
feebly into a corner and murmur
''Thank you' repeatedly.
He was very little better than that
then as his aunt singled out one girl aft
er another I'VE won't have any formal
nonsense between cousins, she said
"You know them all by name already,
7 dare say-tllis is Milly, that's Jane,
here's Flora and Kitty and Margaret,
and that's my little Thomasina over
there by the bookcase.
Poor Flushington ducked blindly in
the direction of each and then to them
all collectively. He had not presence of
mind to offer them chairs or cake or
anything, and besides there was not
nearly enough of anything for all of
them. siS
Meanwhile his aunt had spread her
self comfortably out in his armchair and
was untying her bonnet strings and
beaming at him until he was ready to
expire with confusion. II do think, "
she observed at last, "that when an old
aunt all the way from Australia takes
the trouble to come and sec you like this
you might spare her just one kissp'
Flushington dared not refuse. He tot
tered up and kissed her somewhere about
the face, after which he did not know
which way to look, he was so terribly
afraid that he might have to go through
the same ceremony with the cousins
which he simply could not have sur
vived
Happily for him, they did not appear
to expect it, and he balanced chair on
its hind legs, and resting one knee upon
it waited patiently for them to begin
conversation. He could not have uttered
a single word.
The aunt came to his rescue. "You
don't ask after your Uncle Samuel, who
used to send you the beetles?" she said
reprovingly.
mo" said Flushington, who had
forgotten Uncle Samuel and his beetles
too "No, how is Uncle Samuel? Quite
well, hope.
"Only tolerably so, thank you, Fred.
You see, he never got over his great
loss "
NO." said Flushington desperately,
''of course not. 1t was IA large sum
of money TO lose all at once.
81 was not referring TO money" said
she, with slight touch of stoniness in
her manner II was alluding to the
death of your Cousin John"
Flushington had felt himself getting
ON rather we'll just before that, but this
awkward mistake-for he could not rec
ollect having heard Of Cousin John be-
fore-threw him off his balance again.
He collapsed into silence once more, in
wardly resolving to be lured into no
more questions concerning relatives.
His ignorance seemed to have aroused
pathetic sentiments in his aunt. 81
ought to have known" she said, shak-
ing her head, they'd soon forget US in
the old country. Here's my own sisters
son, and he doesn't remember his cous-
ms deathl Well, we'll. now we're here
other a little better Fred, you must
take the girls and me everywhere and
show us everything, like good nephew,
you know r ,.i,...-,i
Flushington had a horrible mental
vision of himself careering about all
Cambridge, followed by a long process
sion of female relatiyes-a fearful pos
sibility to so shy a man. "Shall you be
here long2" he asked. ses 81
"Only week or SO. ~ We're at the
Bull-very near you, you see, and I'm
afraid you think us very bold beggars,
Fred, but we're going to ask you to give
us something to eat. I've set my heart,
50 have the girls-haven' you, dears?--
on lunching once with a college student
in his own room.
There's nothing so extraordinary in
it, l assure you" protested Flushing
ton, 'and-and I'm afraid there's very
little for you to eat The kitchen and
butteIy are close6''-he said this at a
venture, as he felt absolutely unequal to
facing the college cook and ordering
lunch from that tremendous parsonage
-he would rather order it from his tu-
tor even-'but if you don t mind potted
ham there S little at the bottom of this
tin, and there's some bread and an inch
of butter and marmalade and few
biscuits. And there was some sherry this
morning,
The girls all professed themselves
very hungry and contented with any
thing, SO they sat round the liable, and
poor Flushington served out meager ra-
tions of all the provisions he could find,
even to his figs and French plums, but
there was not nearly enough to go round,
and they lunched with evident disillu-
sionment, thinking that the college lux
ury of which they had heard SO much
had been greatly exaggerated.
During luncheon the aunt began to
study Flushington's features attentive
ly. There's a strong look Of poor dear
Simon about him when he smiles, - she
said, looking at him through her gold
double glasses There! Did you catch
it, girls? Just his mothers profile
turn your face a leetle more toward the
window, SO as to get the light on your
nose. Don't you see the likeness to your
aunt's portrait, girls?"
And Flushington had to sit still with
all the girls charming eyes fixed crit
ically upon his crimson countenance.
He longed to be able to slide down under
the table and evade thom, but of course