Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-02-28
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He had tod his cousin to be early. and
fancied she had promised to be SO in
which case she too would have been
up beside the little platform. and close
to the large window where he had
kept places vacant as long as he could.
He had known she would like the air,
and she might, he thought, have
trusted him to see she had it,
He was now caught in his own trap.
The rose buds vanished whittier he
could not follow; and then. when the
long-looked-for interval did at last
come, and starting from his set, he had
managed to struggle down the room a
little way-being almost rude to one
and another in his determination not
to be detained, his mother-his mother
again! caught him, and all unwitingly
frustrated every advance by present.
ing lady of consequ ence, for whom
his arm to the tearoom was required.
What a place of torment was that
warm, whizzing, buzzing tea-roon to
him.
Geraldine was not there, as l., had
family hoped she might be; but in
Vulnerable other ladies were, and as
all, or nearly all of them, were known
to him, and as men were few, 1t fol-
lowed that he had to wait on one and
another, procure tea for this fair, coffee
for that, and carry cakes, and butter
rolls, and str berries about, till his
very soul sickened within him.
In the fullness of her satisfaction at
in embryo, his mother had ordered
with so liberal hama that no fewer
than three kinds of cool, budding.
delicious cream-iced, clothed, and
plaln-were now offered with the
strawberries, to be accepted according
to taste; and this choice, necessitating
delay and compliment, was the last
straw on the cancels back to the un-
fortunate lover.
He thought he Should never have
done, never get upstairs again. AS
fast as he had satisfied some, others
appeared; and his own dame was not
to be persuaded into Impotence to re-
ascend. No; she thanked him, but she
was quite comfortable, and quite will
ing to wait little while where she
was. She had found some friends to
talk to. Would he come for her pres
emily?
Still no Geraldine. He had just made
up his mind to rush upstairs and bring
down his cousin, regardless of obstruc-
tions, when he was beckoned up by his
rightful charge, and the chance passed,
since, when he had deposited her
above upon sofa, the room had nearly
filled again, and the second part of the
programme was about to begin.
He would not be caught again, he
vowed; and told himself he knew bet
ter than to be found inside the door
way: SO flew back to the landing,
and lowered there, peering this way
and that, hanging over the banister,
scanning the hall below, making short
discursive flights into the balcony, but
never once taking a real look among
the seated audience until the whole
thing was over, and they, too, had
risen.
And then, just as he was about to
ask his mother and his sister whether
the vision Of the rosebud wreath had
been delusion on his part, and Geral-
dine had never really been near the
place at ALL whom should he see but
her fair self coming down from the far,
far end of the room, from behind the
platform indeed, where young madam
had ensconceu herself during all the
latter part OF the entertainment, hav-
ing seen her cousin safely pass down
stairs in the interval, and feeling Sc
cure that he would not re-enter the
great room on his return.
She had been disporting herself on
the balcony, Bellenden with her, dur
ing the early portion Of the afternoon,
and we may be sure he had not left her
afterwards.
They had both enjoyed the recital,
and had listened to it with a politeness
born of contentment with their own
situation and the surroundings. Granny
had been with them, we'll enough
pleased, too; granny was beginning to
have her own ideas about Sir Fred
erick, and to think that his punish
ment had perhaps lasted sufficiently
long: and so no one had helped poor
Cecil, and his mother, who ought to
have been his chief support, had done
him an actual injury.
ga great success, Charlotte," qouth
the old lady, blithly, to her daughter
as she now passed out; "a very pleas
ant party. If 1 had your rooms I should
have liked to try something of the kind
myself. But though our little house
suits me admirably, it is not intended
TOR entertaining. Another year, per-
haps, we may be accommodated hit
tie more commodiouslY."
II had all three kinds of cream at
once, Cecil" Whispered Geraldine as
if he were sure to laugh and be de-
lighted: [ had, indeed; and they were
or rather it was so good. And such
strawberries! 1t was the strawberries
that kept granny and me downstairs
we could not tear ourselves away from
the straw berries, could we, granny?'
''They were delicious, certainly"
assented granny. charlotte. you
must tell me your greengrocer, or did
these come from your own garden?
for they we're now in a family group,
and could ask family questions.
No, the strawberries had not come
from their garden-there were none SO
ane in their garden; but these had
been supplied by Lady Raymond's own
particular market-woman- mar
ket-woman, with whom she had dealt
for years and years, and who had never
disappointed her, and might be de-
pended upon for anything else she UNI
dertook Before she had finished a
gratifed eulogy, Cecil saw Geraldine
twitching his grandmother's sleeves
to go.