Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-06-23
Conti.nUsd.


You will come and see me at home
will you not? And we will tall
French all the time"
You are so kind, Gear MAIDEN
oiselle,' said Esperance, now l shall
have something to look forward to
and the time will pass more quickly
Her face lighted up for q moment
but there was a certain sadness II
her words which did not escape
Frances; it seemed to her unnatural
for such a mere child to speak thus
of Willing away the time. Yet, as
they entered the oppressive drawing
room once more, she owned that 1t
was not surprising; an air OF stiff,
sleepy propriety pervaded the room,
the large clock on the mantel-piece
seemed to tick slower than other
clocks, the sunlight struggled al
most reluctantly through the narrow
windows, the fire smoldered lazily in
the CRATE, a fat pug-dog yawned con-
tinually on the hearth-rug; she could
quite understand that all this would
depress a French nature.
And Esperance certainly was out of
place amid these surroundings. She
FASTENED TO move one of the ponder
Gus arm-chairs for Frances-it is to
be feared thai she took a wicked de-
light in changing their positions
and then, as CoYnelia turned to the
younger visitor, she bent down to the
dog, closed his mouth in the middle Of
a yawn, and tried to rouse him a
little.
Something in her unstudied atti-
tude annoyed Cornelia; she wished
she would sit down and be like an
English girl.
do leave the dog alone" she said
at last, with some sharpness in her
tone
Esperance looked round, surprised,
but still smiling.
1T is his exercise. Ciel! he sleeps
again when my back is turned. Pug,
you are the most lazy of dogs"
The provoking ease of manner, the
unfortunate "Ciel," equivalent to
swearing at the deanery, and yet
more, the grammatical mistake, an
gered CornerTa beyond all patience
and in an Enthusiastically displeased
voice, she said, There are plenty of
chairs, Esperance; why do you not
sit DOWN."
That English" idea of the neces-
sity of sitting down! how it annoyed
Esperance! With a little expressive
of oh Il La
however, into the nearest vacant
chair, and sat for a few minutes like
patience on a monument, but when
the good-byes were being said Frances
noticed that her eyes were full of
tears, which she was sure would not
have been the case had Pug's divert
ing exercise been continued. The de-
parture of the guests made an OPP
pCrtunity of escape, Of which Esper-
ance was not slow to avail herself,
particularly as she felt that a scold-
ing was in store; but in all her hurry
she found time to stop at the land
ing window till Miss Neville's violet
bonnet was hidden by the archway of
the Wears Court. The stratagem had
certainly been successful.
Lady Worthington gave a sigh of
relief as the carriage drove away
from the deanery.
"Theret l call that Something at
tempted, something done!' and if you
don't tell me of a grand result,
Frances, with Claude's Mariana
shall feel i'll used!"
Your maneuvering was beautiful
to see," said Frances, laughing. How
you managed to keep both Mrs Mort
can't imagine"
Merely by chatter General talk
when possibe-g gossip, if Mrs Mort
lake seemed to be slipping away
the arts and sciences to detain Cor
nelia-what a medley it must have
been, to be sure, But tell me about
my protege. Poor little maid! l was
longing to talk to her"
Il wish you could have done so.
her naivete would have delighted you
Poor little thing! half a dozen words
of French won her completely. She
was crying, clinging, pouring out her
troubles, all in five minutes, as if
we had known each other for years. -
COR as if she had not had a conf
dante for MONTHS said Lady Worth
ington. No wonder she is unhappy
in that gloomy place, and with those
terribly still people"
And yet I fancy there is so much
real good in Miss Collinson,' said
Frances, musingly.
My dear Frances, you would see
goodness in every living soul, I dc
believe. However, you are doubtless
right, only you really must let me
try to rescue that little French girl
who l feel convinced is as blind as
! am to her Cousins virtues"
ITO rescue her, or to make hel
see?" said Frances. half to herself
Il wonder which is the right way"
'As usual in our case, my dear, {
little of both, I suppose said Lad,
Warrington; after which the con
Versation turned upon other things.
CHAPTER XVIII.
20 dreary life. we cry, 20 drear,
life,"
And still the generations of the bird