Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-11

last night I-I-have just had a
dr-dreadful interview with--that--
that-odious Lady Slandersonl"
''The de- Oh, beg your pardon. But
-but-do you mean to say that she dis
covered ou--Our-mistake?
sShe--she-thinks that she has found
out some-something dr-dreadful about
us. =
And poor Mabel, unable to restrain
her feelings any longer, began to sob.
"Oh, dearl Pr-ray don't distress
yourself, Miss Wentwarp
ooh, Lord Petersfeld. I-I-don't Z
know how 1 shall tell you the-the
shameful things Lady Slanderson said
to me. But-but-in justice to you, as
well as to myself, / must. TIT seems
that she was up stairs last night at
at most unfortunate moment, and that
--that-she saw me sl-slip out Of your
room-without my shoes onp'
Good heayensl'' gasped his lordship
in a tone of evident dismay. What
a.
"And also" Mabel went on hurried
" as if anxious to finish her painful
disclosure, ''she waited up there, spying
in the dark, and saw you slip out of my
room without your shoes onp'
But surely began Lord Peters
field.
"I-I-told her the truth" inter-
posed the girl 81 explained every thing.
She-she- scoffed at my version She
said she would-would-publish the
scandal to the four winds of heaven.
Oh, Lord Petersfeld, what is to be
done?'
s'But, surely stammered Lord Pc
tersfeld, who was naturally in a great
state of mind, people will accept our
version rather than that of this vile
scandal mongerp'
Alas, sobbed Mabel, 81 wish
thought sol You see, Lord Petersfield,
cannot help recognizing the very un-
fortunate state Of appearances. She will
say that if-if-we had-any-any-
thing to conceal we should, of course,
be ready with an explanation, and that
even at that our explanation is lame
and improbable. Besides she will en-
large and exaggerate and-and tell
falsehoods, until-oh, had rather have
died than have had this happenp'
The viscount was silent for a minute
A sudden idea, born of the circum-
stances, had flashed across his mind He
had never thought of Mabel in this
light before. He would not have done so
now unless the situation had forced it
on him, but as he looked at her pretty,
woeful face he realized that it was not
such an unwelcome light in which to
think of her after all
''My-my-dear Miss Mabel, IL
might, for all that Lady Slanderson
knows to the contrary, have-have-ac-
quired the right to-to-take your
your-slippers to your room. ,,
"I-I-what do you mean, Lord Pc
tersfeld?''
why replied his lordship blush
ing and stammering, .'if I were-were
engaged to be married to you, Miss
Mabel, it w-would make a--a-differ-
ence-wouldn't it?'
'sOh, no, Lord Petersfieldl Not that,
not that, she cried, starting away.
"Couldn't you s-stand me at--at--
any price, then?s gasped the viscount,
painfully mortified.
''Oh, yesi lit was not that. l
should-I mean / could not let you
s-sacriice yourself to-to-save my rep
utation. F"
"It wouldn't be much of sacrifice, !"
said his lordship. DO you know, am
rather glad now that -this-unfor-
tunate situation has opened my eyes? It
-it-shows me something didn IT real
ize before. I-I-oh, Mabel, will you?''
He is noble man, mamma, = said
the newly engaged girl to her mother a
few hours later. "He-he-says he
didn't realize that he loved me till this
morning. And | did not realize that
that loved him. IF I had, would
n-never have played that horrid practi-
cal joke upon him about his-his pumps.
But when he-he-sp-p poke to me
knew in a moment that-that-I did
love him. You uwill-will-never tell
him that meant it originally for
stupid hoax, will you, mamma dear?''
Don't be afraid of that, Nab. Your
old mother will not give you away. It
was a risky sort of joke, wasn't it,
though it has had the happiest results,
as it seems to have opened both your
eyes" London Truth.