The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-20


your daughter. Have your permission
to tell her so?-and to ask her-to ask her
! to become my wife?"
Sir Joseph had been pulling on ms
gloves. he was about to ride nome. MS
daughter always came for h1m-ln Hhe
weather, at least-whioh was about one
Gay out of fiy and they rode home to-
gether He had long been oherishing
delightful vision abodt the future OF MS
daughter and the lustre she was to sheo
upon his name and him; and now mere
was his secretary-hie raid olerk-his paic
man-his official understanding up IN
the clear light of day, in the nineteenth
century, anu in the reign of her
Gracious Majesty, and mildly suggesting
that he, the salared menial, should mar
ry Sir .Joseph's daughter!
Every body with Sir Joseph was
J "mine. Everything was a Joy or a
grievance according as 1t was mine.
The town WAS his town, the men and
women he enpcy ed were simply his men
and women-his machines-they had no
relation t. lie other than the fact that
tn were sir Joseph's men and women.
Naturally his daughter WAS. beyond all
other people and things, his property. He
was fond of her indeed; but he was es-
pecially fond of her because she was
mime to do what he pleased with, to
make her a great la 1v and to make him
self proud and happy because his daughter
was great lady. OF course, his secre-
tary was my secretary-my man, my
henchman, my creature. 1t no more oc-
CURED to him that his daughter and his
secretary could alike cross his wishes and
try to thwart his schemes, than it could
have occurred to him to think that two Of
the Dresden figures on the chimney piece
would come off the place he bad assigned
to them, and insist on sqnattlng on the
hearth-rug
"You haven't talked any of this stuff
to my daughter, Sir Joseph said, re-
J straining his wrath as we'll rs he could.
"No, Sir Joseph, l have not. l thought
it would not be right until had spoken
to you"
J 'fBut you must know that she doesn't
care twopence about fellow like you
, not likely" Sir Joseph said, the original
savage in him breaking out from be-
meath the veneer of civilization.
The secretary WINGED and bit his lips,
and for moment fire burned on his
cheek and lighted in his eyes, which gave
an uncomfortable sensation of contrast
with his quiet and deferential demeanor.
Quiet people are sometimes like some
: quiet pools; there is a good deal of the
poisonous weed down in their deeps.
sit would be hard for me to expect that
young lady brought up like that and
| born like that he said, with certain
, meek emphasis on the allusion to the con-
ditions of birth, fshould care about
creature like me-a fellow like meas
r YOU very properly put it, Sir Joseph.
| was but workhouse boy-I have not
forgotten it, have never been allowed to
: forget it,
''Never mind, never mind, Sir Joseph
/ said hastily ~ was not drawing it up
to you; we both begun on the very lowest
rung of the ladder, and have worked up
5 in fact, don't you see we both have
o worked up, for in your early days, you
A know, you could never have expected to
be confidential secretary to man like
u me-
+ "Of course, know that 1 owe every
: thing in life to your kindness and your
h protection, Sir Joseph.
''Oh, we'll as to that, you are worth
your salt, you know. l couldn't easily,
l. that is quite easily, fill your place. |
!. don t mind admitting that much even If
it does lead to demand for risa Of
> salary Sir Joseph was trying to be
d jocose, .'and I don't deny that you, are a
genteel- looking sort OF a chap, and that
+ you dress well, and do me credit and
= make people say, why, Sir Joseph 9
o clerk, Or secretary, or whatever the devil
the chap is,'-no offence to you, my boy.
It but that's the way people talk, you
: know-why, they say, he dresses like a
y West End London swell, and then they
o think what must be the master if such is
/, the man, don't you see, and they think
. of me as if I was sort of prince.
:, Il am happy If do you credit, Sir
. Joseph, the secretary murmured, and
y he looked at his white hands and there
. was u curious twitching about his lips
as he turned meekly towards his master.
"Well, then, hang it all, why can't you
IL be content with thatY What do you want
u with making blessed fool of yourself,
i and yexing me about nothing? You must
know very well my daughter could not
> marry you It's out Of the question.
: only wonder how on earth you ever came
y to let such a ridiculous notion get into
Is your head
e ''You always said that man was a
:, man and that the rank was but the
u gUinea's stamp.
10 eyes, when [ took the chair at meet
/. ing of working chaps or Oddfellows or
something of that sort. But d man like
t me don't fling away his daughter-his
It only daughter-on that sort of principle.
And besides, If you talk about the
: guinea's stamp, why, hang it all, want
IT my guineas to have the stamp on them
a So now, like good fellow, do let us hear
d no more of this-you will only end by
q making me angry-and it amt the best
l. thing for yone to make me angry. A
: chap in your position, of course, it dc n 7
IL matter whether you are angry or not .
:. "No,' said the secretary, with a curious
s. smile "a chap like me is not able to dc
4 any one any harm.
Is why, Of course, he tito be sure BIZ
II isn't What harm could you do me fol
u Instance, ppose we quarrelled?'
10 "Ah, indeed-what harm?'
l. "Just so-none at all. But you know
d my good fellow, could wreck yonr pros
, pects-simply wreck your prospects. %
u let us have an end to all this. So far ~
IS a speedy rise in larry goes. well, DOM
re want to bind myself by any promise, but
a l don't say 1 shan't think about that. "
q 81 haven't asked
h cor course. you haven't asked. If yor
le had probably shouldn't have given i
J. to you. But look hereto nnlsh this
ar nonsense-my daughter is going to marry
If a real swell-a man with title-a noble
is man and nobody else. Since ever SHE
was born / had a vision of that. III
y make that vision come true"
i "Tbere is many lying vision" the
D. secretary sa d bitterly. 81 have had my
y own lying vision. "
- "Mhat the-no, l won't say it-but
t what on earth makes you stick in such &
y word as that? Lying vision! What dc
you mean, sir?''
/, "Only a nhrase I read in CARLYLE. ST,