The Irish standard., 1896-09-05

you SPOKE. lou uuA uAue1SldHu LIZ
little BIZ"
SIS 1t necessary that should"
81 don't suppose you think it TO-"
said Jennie, meditatively, resting her
elbow on her knee, and her chin on her
palm. ''That is where our pointof view
differs. / like to know everything. Ii
interests me to know what people think
and talk about, and somehow it doesn't
seem to matter to me what the people
are, for I was even more interested in
your buffers political opinion than
I was i'll Lord Frederick Bingham's.
They are both conservatives, but Lord
Freddie seems shaky in his views, for
you can argue him down in five min
utes, but the butler is as steadfast as
rock. do admire that butler. / hops
you will break the news of my depart
ure gently to him, for he proposed TO
me, and he has not yet had his answer
There is still time," said Edith, smil-
ing in spite of herself. "shall 1 ring for
him?"
'Please do not. 1 want to avoid a
painful scene, because he is SO sure OF
himself and never dreams of refusal.
It is such a pity. too, for the butler is
my ideal of what a member of the arie-
tocracy should be. His dignity is some
thing awe inspiring, while Lord Fred
die is such simple, good-natnred,
everyday young fellow, that if I inn
ported him to the states / am sure no
one would believe he was realslord.
With the butler it would be SO differ
ent,' added Jennie, with deep sigh.
''It is too bad that you cannot ex-
change the declaration of the butler for
one from Lord Frederick"
"Too bad!" cried Jennie, looking
with wide-open eyes at the girl before
her. "Why, bless you, had proposal
from Lord Freddie two weeks before
ever saw the butler. I see you don't
believe word I say. Well, you ask
Lord Freddie. I'll Introduce you and
you tell him you don't believe he asked
me to be Lady Freddie, if that's the
title. He'll look sheepish. but he won't
deny it. You see, when 1 found was
going to stay i'll England for a time [
wrote to the editor of the Argus to get
me q bunch of letters of introduction
and send them over, as I wanted par
ticularly to study the a1istocracy. So
he sent them, and, assure you, l found
it much more difficult to get into your
servants hall than did into the halls
of the nobility; besides, it cost less to
mix with the Upper Ten:' .
Edith sat in silence, looking with
amazed interest at the young woman.
who talked so rapidly that there was
sometimes difficulty in following
what she said.
'sNo. Lord Freddie was not half SO
condescending as the butler, neither
was his language SO we'll chosen; but
then, suppose, the buffers had more
practice, for Freddie is very young. I
am exceedingly disappointed with the
aristocracy. They are not nearly so
naughty as had imagined them to be.
But what astonished me in this country
is the way you women spoil the men.
You are much too good to them. You
pet them and fawn on them. and
naturally they get conceited. 1t is
such a pity, too, for they are nice fell
lows, most of them. 1t is the same
everywhere I've been-servants' hall
and all. Why, when you meet young
couple, of what you are pleased to call
the lower classes, walking in the park,
the man hangs down his head as he
slouches along, but the girl looks de-
family at you, as much as to say: I've
got him. Bless him What have you
to say about it?' while the man seems
to be ashamed of himself, and evidently
feels that he's been had. Now, a man
should be made to understand that
you're doing him great favor when
you give him a civil word. That's the
proper state of mind to keep man in,
and then you can do whatyou like with
him. / generally make him propose,
so as to get it over before any real
harms done, and to give an artistic
finish to the episode. After that you
can be real good friends, and have i
jolly time. That's what did with
Lord Freddie. We all went up the
river one day-two young men friends
of Freddie's ard two nice girls, q chap
eron, and myself. Would you believe
that those two girls proposed to tow
us up stream. and the young men
actually allowed them to do SO. I
was steering, and it made me so angry
/ couldn't speak. Lord Freddie seemed
to feel that it was necessary to keep up
q conversation, but when didn't re-
ply to him he calmly lit his pipe and
began to smoke. The other two re-
clined with their hats over their eyes
and, l think, went to sleep. Mean
while the two nice girls trudged along
the bank together, pulling the rope. I
would have sunk the boat if could,
but didn't know how. Well, when we
got to the place where we were to have
tea. the young men said it was jolly
nice of the girls to tow them so far;
then they went and sprawled under
some trees, leaving the complacent
girls to get tea ready. / couldn't stand
it any longer. went UP to the three
sprawlers under the tree, and, bidding
them good-by, started down the tow
path. Lord Freddie sprang up and,
running after me, asked where was
going. told him was going to walk
back to London. He laughed and said
/ couldn't; it was so miles away. But
when he saw / was in earnest, he be-
came anxious to know what the matter
: was.
~ told him l thought / had come
out with three gentlemen, but, finding
I was mistaken, was just going back.
set IN