The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1898-04-22
At the Last FIOn1ent.



too, because some OF those ON the plat
form-parents saying goodby to sons
and wiyer saying aiieu 10 husbands
we're sufficiently old.iashioned 10 pos
soss emotions.
"And what 7 had TO do was this:
Mr.. Charterhouse is, as you know,
bachelor
"Mr. Chorterhouso may be an old
maid for all know or care, ." she
said, hotly.
"Aud II was 10 use my influence
with CharterhOuse-which is, admit,
considerable induce him to come
over here to-see Miss Langham,
"Aud buy her, 1 suppose" she ex-
claimed, trembling with excitement,
but not allowing her voice to raise it.
self ''ro buy me and 10 sign the
agreement at ST. Georges, Hanover
square"
81 think, he said, apologetically,
"that your aunt is very anxious that
you should make a good marriage"
"Ihese good marriages are all bad
ones, j." declared Eva Langham, hotly.
"Mr Beste. you must help me. /
cannot allow my aunt to make me APP
pear shameful and ridiculous in peo-
ple's eyes. You must promise not to
say a word to Mr. Charterhouse about
me. 1 don't know him, and 1 don't
want to know him.
He saw You once, / think, when
you were a girl at school"
81 beg Of you, Mr.. Bestc, to do this
for me. l shall marry when do
mmry-iust whom l like. and I will
not consider any one whom / don't
like"
II am glad TO hear you say so"
81 should not dream of saying any
thing else.
81 thought, from what your aunt
said, that you understood -"
Indeed, indeed, Mr.. Beste, she
said, pleadingly, you must not think
so badly of me as all that.
81 can't tell you how glad am, 4"
he said, honestly, "to hear it. I
shall, at any rate, take away pleasant
| memories now.
"Thank you.
'And, he went on, with something
of a hurry in his manner, Il shall
think of you a great DEAL Miss Lang
ham. Now that You have told me this,
| shall look back upon this visit to
England as one of absolute delight
"And- and you will come back
again?"
He waited a moment
81 wonder whether l might write to
you?" he asked.
81 think" she said, locking up
with pleased expression, ''that there
is no law against that
81 was afraid You would consider it
an impertinence on my part.
''You find that / do not. "
"There is something else to ex-
plain, he said, awiwrdly. 81 have
been here, to some extent, in disguise.
1 think, perhaps, 1 had better write
and tell you all about it.
"Thero are still five minutes" she
said, looking at the tiny gold watch on
her wrist "Why not tell me now?"
81 suppose, he said, with some
nervousness, 'that under no circum.
stances would you marry Mr.. Charter.
house.
"Under no circumstances, replied
Miss Langham, decidedly.
''He is very rich, he remarked,
"and I happen to know that he"
81 desire, said the young woman,
with much spirit, CT desire not to hear
Mr. Charterhouse's name again.
''Your mind is quite made up?"
"Quite.
& porter stood patiently at the dool
of the compartment, holding it oper
for the passenger to South Africa
There's nothing like young en-
gagged couple" said the acute porter
to himself, ''for making trains late
They don't care.
"But suppose 1 were to tell you,
he said, taking her hand and holding
it, "that Mr.. Charterhouse, who was
, poorish man until three years ago
when this mine was foundon his prop
erty, has been in England lately? Sup
J pose l were to tell you that he hal
fallen in love with you"
} even that does not concern me, Mr.
Beste."
> ''And supposing we're to tell yor
that, to avoid being pestered by fnan
1 cial people and to see the little school
girl who has grown so tall and sos,
S charming, he preferred to call him
self, not Mr.. Charterhouse, the owne
of the West End mine, but Mr.. Beste
the manager Of"
a "That, said Miss Langham, he
D breath coming quickly, would max
all the difference. "