New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-10
HUMBLING AN EGOTIST.


| than beautiful had deemed II advisable to sug-
9est for his own sake that his visits should cease
| until he could regard her merely as faithtu
| friend who though esteemirg him highiy uiu
! not love him and could never be his VIE.
rs It not better SOP" she asked. After what
| has now passed between us-if you are as SIN
cere In your profession Of regard for me as be-
reve YOU are-my apparent lack of a reciprocal
| sentiment being day by day impressed upon YOU
must necessarily cause you pain.
Now, had Singleton been an ordinary man.
! this gentle, though firmly expressed negative
would have been sufficient to convince him OF the
utter hopeessness Of his suit; but singleton was
not an ordinary man. or he would not have re-
piled he did
"And in requesting me to cease my visits. are
you not Miss Berkeley, actuated by fear OF the
consequence of their continuance-to yourseIt!'
81 don't understand you" said Miss Berkeley,
looking at him quickly She saw a fair smile
pIavIng about the corners Of his mouth. but in
her surprise she failed to observe how grim 1t
was.
Il mean" returned Singleton. that having
formed the resolution not TO love me, are you
not fearful lest a prolonged acquaintance should
impel you to accept me as a husband?'
An expression Of blank establishment over
spread Miss Berkleys features; then flush Of
pardonabe indignation mantled her brow.
II must confess myself dull observer OF
human nature, Mr.. Singleton for during the
three weeks I have known you l not aware
! that egotism dominant in your character
why not say confidence? But no matter
call It what you will Your manner plainly indi
Gates. however, that you think the very idea Of
nv being able 10 shake your resolution is absurd.
Will prove 1t is not"
| "yIowp" asked Miss Perlxley sarcastically.
by winning you for wife against your will"
| "Oh indeed
The enterprise is unique. I'll confess" con-
| tlnued the imperturbab.e Singleton. Let us
| make 1t more so. You like bonbons. do you not?
| Well. am especially DESTROYS Of having you
| select a bookmark for me. Now. will wager a
box Of bonbOns against a bookmark that three
| months from to-day you will accept me as
| husband-subject, however, TO certain cohdl-
| tons
And the conditions, please?' The smile on
Miss Berkley's lips would in all probability have
discouraged any one else, but Singleton did not
seem to mind it in the least
First that you contirue to receive me as you
have lately done; secondly. that at the expiration
Of the three months you will give me an oppor-
! tunitv to repeat my proposal, and that you VIII
then give me definite answer
| "Verv well; | accept the wager and grant the
|
| conditions"
Your hand upon It. Miss Berkeley
They shook hands: then Singleton withdrew
| As Singleton left the room change touched
| the features OF Miss Berkeley; her face flushed.
| she stamped her foot, and clenched her fists IN
| such a manner that the thumbs were between
! fingers and palms-an ominous sign in woman
! "Why. the impudent, egotstical wretch" she
! exclaimed "The-the-Oh. but I'll humble him"
| To the credit OF Miss Berkeley be it said, that
! she adhered conscentously to the terms OF her
| compact with Mr.. Singleton The gates and the
doors and even certain windows in the Berkeley
! establishment yawned whenever he was pleased
to enter. and day by day the SPIDERS parlor be-
| came more familiar to the self-nvited fly
Miss Berkeley was not long in determining on
her tactics. Slowly and laborousy would Mr..
Singleton be permitted t. climb heavenward. then
! She would suddenly hur him down. She there
| fore began to manifest profound interest In
| poetry of a sentimental nature Singleton, who
| was an excellent reader, rendered his services,
| which Miss Berkeley gracously accepted The
| young lady could not deny that his voice was
wonderfully sympathetic; but then, she reasoned,
| good as he was there must surely exist men who
| were better readers than Mr. Singleton So she
| listened, and he read the poets-Brownng and
| Swinburne and Shelley and any number Of others
| Sometimes after having read canto or two,
| Singleton would become fatgued. then they
! would talk and Miss Berkeley usually contrived
| to find some pretext that appeared reasonable.
| for disagreeing with nearly everything in the
| form of an aphorism that emanated from Mr.
! Singleton.
Thus through long summer afternoons they
| rowed together walked together, read together,
talked together and drowsed together, TIL at
| length Miss Berkeley reached the conclusion that
| Mr. Singleton was deriving rather more salts
faction from her society than he deserved. She
| consequently resolved to give him preliminary
hurI into the abyss Of blighted hopes-just to see
! how he would be likely to look when the three
months had expired and he had the bonbons to
| buy About this time Lady Plympton gave a
! ball In honor Of the homecoming of her son,
! Captain George, who had for several years served
! Her Majesty 1 ma military capacity in India.
| Singleton besought of Miss Berkeley the privilege
| OF escorting her to the function, and 1t was
| corded him; but when he besought of her the
further privilege of nscribing his name on her
dancing card in five or six places his hopes were
dashed by the ntimation that he would be re-
| stricted to two
After their first measure they separated Miss
| Berkeley was then appropriated by the hero of the
evening, Captain George Plympton. whose at
tentions to her for the next few hours were con-
| spicuous enough TO excite comment. 1t was also
| apparent that Miss Berkeley found the young Of
| fcer as fascinating as he found her, and II was a
moot question among the speculative whether or
| not Miss Berkeley had ever treated man gra-
| ciousy before.
But where Singleton?
| oh. Singleton was dancing with Mrs Colchester.
Il charming widow. young handsome, witty and
rich He devoted himself TO her. and she recipro-
| Gated his manifestations OF devotion. Each of
them fairly revelled in the society Of the other.
At last they disappeared. People wondered, Miss
| Berkeley among them, what had become OF them
| Captain George alone was without curiosity he
| would not have given clank of his sabre for the
| knowledge.
| By-and-by Captain George proposed to Miss
| Berkeley that they should sit out" one OF the