The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-26
CHAPTER XIII.
Another st. Valentines Day.

Again it st. Valentines Dav
IL was late in the afternoon, and the SIN
was beginning 10 set redly over the waters of
81. Georges Channel, two people emerged
from beautiful cottage in South Wales and
stood within the belt of trees which frinpad
e the lawn to watch that glowing sunset as it
Shed It's light on land and sea.
Ihey We're bride and bridegroom and this
was their wedding day.
The bride was slender and graceful, with
me frank grey eyes, and a sweet lovely
mouth; the bridegroom was strong and man.
ly-lCoklng, quite sufficiently handsome with
a breezy, genial look which, in itself. would
nave redeemed even plain-featured face
Needless TO say he was Sir Basil Brooke:
needless, TOO, to say, that the bride had signed
herself Nora Drummond for the last time that
morning.
she looked very lovely in Their tea-gown of
thlck White stuff, with fleecy Wrap thrown
lightly over her head and shoulders.
her eyes held tender light her cheeks
were ike damask roses, as she rested lovingly
and proudly on her husbands arm
1t was so good of you to come to me
To-Day, Sir Basil was murmuring softly. 'Of
all days in the year ST. Valentines is the
sweetest to me. And to be married on it, IT
vaentine!" '
And you mine!" whispered Nora. while
her cheeks grew more like damask roses than
ever.
How little we dreamed what was going to
You forget that 1 told you I'd quite made
up my mind to marry the first man l nett
he'd have mel" said Nora, gaily Meg and I
had arranged that, you know"
L wish I'd known at the time r should
nave proposed to you on the spot" declared
Sir BASIL pressing her little more CLOSELY to
his side: We might have been spared a lot
OF trouble, Ell, darling?"
The trouble was all my fault" nrotaste<7
Nora. When think what a proud cold i'll
hatureo girl must have seemed, 1 wonder
how you could ever care for me-
To tell you the truth, my darling T think
q begun to fall in love with you before Won
donned those cold, proud airs. The moment 7
looked INTO your eyes at the railway station
to make my wife, if only l could be sure She
loved me for myself alone.''
ana that was why you took a third-class
tcket.Just to deceive me. Sly fox!"
We'll, l candidly admit that Soma snob
thought passed through his mind; but ali
would have been plain sailing, 1 am ouite
certain II it hadn't been for that meeting in
the WOOD. YOU'D no business to find me out
Lady Brooke. Don't you see that, if I'd iust
been allowed to keep to myself the fact that T
knew how much You admired me r shouId
have wooed you in the orthodox fashion. and
should have been saved what our YANKEE
friends call 'ructions :"
Il don't think I'm sorry there were
'ructions, said Nora, softly. Il almost think
we've loved each other all the better for them.
Basil; and-and I'm sure we're all the han.
pier now"
Very WELL we'll consider they've had
vote OF thanks moved, seconded and carried
But, you know, dearest, I'm inclined to think
the real stumbling-block my stupid Wav
of asking you to marry me. You see T was
rather a novice at the work, and, to confess
the honest truth, 1 was dreadfully afraid of
you at that time: and so 1 suppose I blurted
out the proposal in a very awkward way and
that high and mighty pride of yours took
alarm, and then, CT course, in came the
'ructons.'
Il wonder whether you'd have ever come to
me again, dear, if it hadn't been for your
sprained ankle and the danger we were in to-
gether?"
81 think SOL hope so. Certainly I should
if I'd found out you were not engaged Yes.
1 should have come to you the moment I'd
found l was free from Lady Tudor
Poor Lady Tudor! Do YOU know Tn, ,