The Democratic advocate., 1897-12-18

white to red, and from red back again to
white. as she does So We'll. lilly !!
come al last, dear?
Du.daies ; heart gives Il big jump.
That pretty head, with its short nut brown
c,nl*. harmless as it seems, strikes terror
to hi- .oul lie grows almGst yehement
in hi, attentions to his left hand neigh
bor---;t gaunt old maid with Spectacles.
Anything, rather than meet the eyes of
this little hesitating newcomer.
.sGlad YOU We come, Lillian We were
Just going to have the lake dragged -
Really, Miss Englethorpe, you should
give us notice when you intend to retire
into private life. The anxiety We have
undergone up to this would"
Slept it out, Iii = questioned her
brother, tall Guardsman, who is At the
sideboard busy with ham
she looks rather as if she hadn slept
at all, SAYS Sir George frayers, her
kindly host. drawing a chair ap close TO
his own. and beckonine her 10 come 10
him.
That blue room is haunted, says
Augusta. the eldest daughter of the house ;
II warned you about it, Lii. Well what
did YOU see? Who entered your room
last night? let us hear the CHASTITY de
tails.
Poor Miss Englethorpe Dugdale' :
heart dies within him as he sees the cruel
crimson that. rising, colols her checks
BY Jove. | think you We hit it, . says
her brother, nightly amused by this
blush. (Brothers are such brutes y
Come, tell us, Lily The actual
person who sees ghost is ST much pre-
lerable to the person who knows somebody
else who has seen Il ghost, Was it a
man ?
Good breeding So far stands to Miss
Englethorpe that, though now deadly pale,
she refuses further to betray herself. Is
for Dugdale, gazing on that brave little face,
he feels as if he must rise and say some
thing. But what ? That is the question
that reduces him to absolute nothingnesS.
Had he his head under his arm p
persists Lady Rattleton with the loud
laugh that is commonly and rather justly,
supposed to proclaim the vacant mind.
''Or dripping sword, perchance,
says the Guardsman. who, being her
brother, is Of course the last man in the
world to ever dream of looking at her.
Come. come, come, cries Sir George
quickly. "A truce to all such idle jests.
Can't you see that the little one has
headache? \ cup Of tea for her, Oswald,
that will exercise the demon, hope
Have you seen the last about these White
chapel murders? Eth ?-eh Such
disgrace as they are to civilization. And
So on The good old host compels them
all to follow him far away from Miss En-
gethorpe and her worries.
Nov, once for all, we must be in time
to decorate the church, says Augusta
Travers presently, who is commonly sup
posed to be an admirer of the rector s-a
happy. unmarried man I'VE have only
this one clear day before us, and we IL
hardly get oIlr work through before Christ
mas dawns
.'What hour are we to meet at the
church 2
'EIalf-past l l sharp.
And it is now BY Jovc. what
is it, now, by anything reliable? asks
Oswald staring at the clock on the man
telpiece, that points stolidly to twenty
past , That clock has gone down. |
say. Dugdale, you are the last conner from
the seat of war; give us the newS-the
time
We have all heard Of the word limp. "
1t, and it only, describes Dngale at this
moment.
.'Eh 2 says he with a view to gain
inc time. An awful consciousness that
two large brown eyes are at this instant
fixed upon him renders him almost par
alyzed
My dear fellow, straight from town
as you are, you can Of course give us the
right time.
There you overrate my strength,
says Dugdale, recovering himself by su-
preme effort 1.-The fact is, [ was so tired
last night that | forgot to wind my watch,
and when looked at it this morning |
found it had meanly run down. So
sorry =
He quite forgets to hope that Heaven
will forgive him this pious tib in his an
xiety to see how she has taken it. She
has evidently taken ii most satisfactorily.
The white and frightened face that was
turned on him moment since now looks
half-releyed. That II looked at it this
morning had been very clever; she had
accepted it as the noble truth. She is
still timid, unnerved, but her 9 lances are
no longer directed specially towards him;
they are divided amongst the other men
sitting all around the table.
As they rise from the latter Augusta
comes up to Dugdale.
Il think you and Miss Englethorpe are
the two people unknown to each other
here. says she That should be bond
of union between you. She laughs, the
little unctuous laugh peculiar to stout Peo
pie, and introduces Dugdale to Lillian.
Now don't be half century getting
into your walking things, says she to Miss
Englethorpe 'You have big days
work before you in the church. Persuade
Captain Dugdale to give you his assistance
and you will make the parish your friend
forever
At this Miss Englethorpe says word
or two as in duty bound, and Captain
Dugdale answers it. The result being
that the former finds herself behind pair
of ponies half an hour later with the latter
holding the reins. This conjunction brings
them speedily to the church doors, where
divers spoken plans for celebrating Christ
mas are making the air loud.
Miss Englethorpe being of an energetic
turn of mind, soon separates herself from
the idle members Of the flock and gives
herself up to the working section thereof.
Holly, ivy, and certain hot-house plants
Il.