Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-02-27
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been such an excellent opportunity for
them to have talked rench. and they
SO seldom have tLat opportunity b t.,
Owever 1 am glad Cecil goes. Ger
aldine will not feel uncomfortable il
she has him dare say her French
is Door enough! What advantages can
she have had in that out-of-the-way
olace. you know"
Huu ph! She seems to do uncom-
monty Eell without them," retorted
the old peer. with a knowing look. 1t
struck him that il his wife should now
be lamenting the few Opport Inities his
daughter had for airing a language,
the advantage OF ac ,uiring which had
teen SO often dinned into his ears, he
hardly saw the force of her argume nts.
Here was her niece whom he under
stood for he kept his ears open to be
RI nning the gauntlet as one of the ac-
know edg ed beauties ana fortunes OF
the season, Icing lamented over,
l. oreO er for deficiency which in all
probabi itv would never come to light.
1t was humorous and Lord Raymond
had more humor than any OF his fam
lily. He saw the fun of the thing, and
his eyes txinkled.
| So erry goes and they stay away"
he said. well l don't suppose it will
he much o3ds in the long run. You do
not imagine the embassy is desert
land OF rance. If Jerry likes to spo
their lingo, the mo IL seers Eo doubt
will let her. AMI pay her every com, Ii
ment about it under the sun; but war
rant she needs none of it to help her
. along
My dear Raymond. not to speak
| French looks 20 shockingly ignorant.
| Which is worst! Not to speak it.
| Dr. to speak it badly?"
| ''Rea ly. hardly know. Both are
oad"
| well. don't speak it at all and you,
| my dear. speak it abominably-evenI I
can perceive that so now which of us
is the most 'shockingly Ignorant eh?
l dare say little Geraldine could give
us POINTS equally" added my lord, who
was bit of bear, and who now went
OF chuckling over the snub SO happily
| administered.
His wife, however, turned to Cecil
| tor consolation.
! Il am very glad you are goin to the
foreion reception on Thursday" she
added: 'but do wish Cecil. you could
have obtained an invitation for your
| sisters a SO. You know what excellent
linguists they are, and it is really
pity they should not have this oppor
tunity for showing it. Sir Frederick
Bellenden is good French scholar
also. l remember hearing added she,
carelessly.
He is not likely to be going.
mother"
as he not? But no doubt he could
go if he chose, and If we went, we
could give him seat in our carriage,
and all go comfortably together. You
will, OF course, accompany my mother
and Geraldine"
| Il do not think he would care to go"
responded Cecil, following her train of
thought with acumen and sympathy.
But | will see what can be done. |
will try to-day, and if I succeed. will
take care Bellenden knows"
| Then Lady Raymond went out and
herself ordered her tur Dot and salmon.
| her W ..itebait, and larks, and trutes,
and what not she was by no means
too great lady to know anything CT
| such matters, and although she had
been left behind to potter about the
| rooms, get the chimneys cleane !, and
| the carpets shaken, get the proper
.'spring cleaning" in short, generally
accOmplis = SO that her ladyship, hav-
| ing held high conference with the
lesser luminary, willingly proceeded to
do her part by no means an unpleas-
! ant one of driving about on lovely
|
| grateful to the eye, and tempting to
the palate. from tishmonger, and poul-
! tererj. and fruiterers.
| Her mind was very busy, and her
heart light that gladstone morning.
She shock her head quite graciously
! at the rersevering flower girls, who
] would not be dissuaded from lowering
round ber carriage in hopes of pur-
| chaser she did not scold her coach
man. who trundled her through some
long, disagreeable, and narrow streets,
whereas she coula herself have shown
! him a quicker and batter route: she
praised the freshness of the fish and
flowers. the size of the pigeons, and
| plumDness of the poultry. Nothing
came amis5 to her.
| If only she could be thus driving
| about, and stepping in and out of the
| shops, ordering her darling Ethel s
trO sseau.
Or, even dear Geraldine's- dear to
I her as daughter already-as she was
| ready to assure Cecil at any mo cent
| when he should make known to her
| the crOwning of his hopes ana her own.
| She would not more willingly exert
| herself for the one than for the other,
Tor the daughter than for the neice.
| AS for the young people themselves.
| every one had but to see that Cecil and
! Geraldine were made for each other.
| From his boyhood her son had n ade
[nchmarew his second home; and how
| delight ul it wo Id be fer her dear
mother, now in the decline OF life. to
: have him come, and take up his abO le
there permanently. instead of having
| to undergo the anxiety and uncertainty
! of finding out W no or what some other
/, choice OF Ceraldlne's might prove to
I be.
The risk was always SO great when
an heiress chose among her suitOrs.
But such a man AS Cecil. And such a
| favorite as he had always been OF his
! grandmothers Could anything be
| more perfect
Strange to say granny did not see it
| so.
| She was fond of young Raymond, her
only grandson, regarding him in the
| light of a dear, kind, useful boy, whom
| she could talk to or not, Just As she
| choose: who could be left by himself
in the drawingrOOm 10 wait If she
| were not inclined to come down to him
] at any time: W hom she could dictate to
| on some points. and take counsel with
on others who was, in short. unirs.
| peachable in the capacity in which he
| It present stood-but she could not SEQ
! him in anv other. Least OF all dill
: fancy his hanging his hat up perma-
| nently at Inchmarew, ana her LeauL.-
full Gegald.ne, the pride OF her heart.
( the queen of the day, was going ! o
further and faring no better than only
her cousin. whom she might have ha
any moment of her life, and without
budging an inch from her own door
| step.
Not but what the boy was well
,nough, and had he been any one g SO,
any Cne but the lad she had seen grow
up thro gh all the stages OF petticoats
and rserydom. and .acket and tro =