Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-02-14

eIse: and, it being the end of June, her
iadysbip presently fixed on straw
berry tea with recital, or lecture
or concert, or something of that nature,
Nv way of food for the mind. Eventu-
ailv recital was on, the proper per-
CON for the same engaged, the ices,
cakes, cream, and strawberries or
dered. and two or three hundred invi-
tations sent out.
II asked Bellenden yesterday" an
nouncsd her son one morning, as the
family sat in conclave. 81 say, mother,
think he has been rather neglected
among US. for when l gave him the in
yitation. though I added that I did not
think these sort OF things were in his
line, he laughed and said he was far
too proud of being invited to refuse.''
Il am sure [ should have invited
him if I had ever thought he would
have cared TO come" said she. "But
he never called on us till this summer.
and only took his doing SO once to be
because he had taken Ethel in to din
ner at Fitzwilbrahams."
"Perhaps it was," said Cecil, signi-
fcantly. AT all events,'' he added,
after pause, she is coming to the tea,
and should say we might ask hun to
place vacant, that some one had failed
for Thursday"
He would never come On so short a
notice. my dear"
II don't know about that. Judging
from to-day, l should say he would.
He does not go out half so much as he
used to do and it might happen he was
disengaged. At all events he could
not object to boinU asked -
1t ended in his carrying off the note
in his pocket, and the same evening
saw it accepted.
Il really don't know what has come
over the fellow" Cecil privately in
formed his mother. 1T was no fancy
of mine, he really did look delighted
when he read your note, and said he
would come straight away, without re-
ferring to his engagements or any
thing. [ dare say he was engaged,
bit he is not the man to stick at that;
he would find an excuse sharp enough
if he wanted one; and he evidently
meant to come to us. Do you think
can it be Ethel? How long did she
have OF him? And did it strike you
that he was taken with her..
# certainly observed that he went
up to her as soon us the gentlemen ap-
peared after dinner" replied her lady
Ship, 'but we had such a very short
time in the drawingroom before we
had to leave, and as Ethel said moth
ing, and we met SO many people that
same evening at Lady Marion's dance.
forgot all abo4t Sir Frederick Bel
lenden. He is a ,emarkably tine-look-
ing man, and, | am told POPULAR IN the
country He is, | suppose. resfe ia
ble?" and she looked in, uiringly at her
son, for the same idea was in both their
minds, and up to her lights Lady Kay
mond was good mother, and it was a
sine Qua non with her that any appli-
can't for the hand of either daughter
must be ''reSE ectable."
''Oh, should say particularly 500
re ,oined Cecil. Il have ah-been
nal1ing inquiries about him once Or
twice lately. He lives now almost en-
tirely upon his own place, and has gone
in for being the country gentleman,
and all that. He seems quite different
from what he used to be in several
ways; hardly cares enough far appear
ances, YOU know. whereas he used to
be such very great swell. He still
goes to the same tailor, but his boots
Yesterday were simply dlsgraceful.
at Bellenden. should say"
And very right if they were, !" sad
Lady Raymond, briskly. ga landed
proprietor ought to encourage his own
people. And he has stood for Parlla-
ment, too, [ hear? Very right, very
proper. I did not much care for him
as Capt. .Bellenden. ] own: he was too
much the man of fashion for me, but
since he has, as you say, turned his at,
tention to more sensible ana rational
mode of life. why. there is no reason
no reason"-and she drew herself up
emphatically. ''why he should not
come to our house as often as ever he
pleases."
Perhaps it was in accordance with
this conclusion that it was arranged to
give Bellenden the agreeable Ethel as
his partner. at the Thursday dinner
party.
Ethel, if not strictly good-looking,
was charming and accomplished
enough. and had enough conversation,
and presence. and department to make
her quite sufficiently attractive. her
mother felt, for any sensible man. es-
pecialIv for one who had now settled
down on his own estates. and was not
ashamed to be seen in Pail Mall in
boots made by his own village shoe
maker.
1t is impossible to say to what the
indescribable pleasure she experienced
IN the mental contemplation OF those
boots can be attributed. They seemed
to her to be landmark in the young
baronet's life. In them she felt she
had something tangible, indlsputable
to point to, something TO take hold OF.
They formed a distant line of demar-
cation between the past and present IN
her eyes. A man who could wear
stout village boots, roughly toed ana
broadly heeled, at his club, and up ana
down ST. James and Piccadllly, muss
De, let who would gainsay ia man OF
fiber: II an of resolution and prlnc,ll-
pie; u man, in short, worthy OF hefsell'
her family, and her daughter.
She prepared for her Thursday DIN
ner-party with sense of unwonted ex-
nllarat on
Geraldine was to he present at It, but
not Mrs. Campbell, who was to take
her granddaughter on to very grand
reception at some foreign embassy,