The Press., 1900-10-11
A MOMENT
OF WEAKNESS.
How q Couple Obtained Consent
to Their Marriage.

what on earth are We to doT cried
pretty Lydia Darrell almost tearfully.
II won't marry old Fiebel-Jones-not IL
all the aunts in the world told me to-"
marry me and defy the old catv'
Eyes; that's just what 1 should like
to do, but one must consider things"
'You mean money! ..--s--
Eyes; I mean money. You see, If
Aunt Judith had any rational ground
for objecting to our marriage, II she
said you drank or were already mar
ried-of course 1 know you are not
but am supposing case"-
Don't you think you might suppose
something a little less uncomplimen-
taryT
mo; certainly not. What does it
matter In supposing? Well. then it
would be different, and I should feel
that, however wrong she might be, she
really meant well. But when she can
only say that you are one of the most
arrogant opponents Of all the noblest
and purest aspirations Of our sex
which means that she suspects you Of
laughing at her bloomers-why, then, l
know that it Is not me that she Is
thinking of but herself all the time.
And she wants me to marry Fiebel-
Jones because he fatters her to the top
Of her bent and calls her pioneer and
all that sort of nonsense"
do you think that punching his
head would do any good"
Tn, quito S,1ro UUonIdn,f np 7
should have told you to do it long ago.
But, for all that, Aunt Judy can do
what she likes with all my money I'M
til l come of age, and IL marry with
out her consent before / am Fl all my
property goes into trust, with her as
trustee, and she can allow me as much
or as little as she likes. If Aunt Judith
were an ordinary aunt, one might ex-
pect that she would come round when
she found out what dear you really
are. But I know she would be only
too delighted to get the money for her
movements and societies, and l should
never get penny. So we must wait
till l am 21."
eff I could only get round her in
some way. If this was in a novel,
there would be dozens Of ways. l
should drop on her in a railway acct
dent and soothe her last moments with
my brandy flask"
"You forget that she Is a teetotaler."
"If you had met as many teetotalerS
as have, you wouldn't bet. l know
one who simply VOLTS down a trifle
that is stiff with brandy and vermuth,
though he wouldn't touch either hon
estly out of a glass, or might be in
the way when her horses bolted."
"Oh, she doesn't keep any"
"She would in a novel. And should
stop them at the risk of my life, and
she would fall on my neck and call me
her preserver."
81 should like to see thatw cried
Lydia, with a delicious trill Of laugh
| ter.
"Lyddy, you have no imagination,
said Bob Falk, with dignity. II an
sure the scene would be most dramat
ic, especially If Lady Judy happened
| to be in boomers. And her remorse
would be SO great that she would give
me her consent written on a visiting
card, or perhaps my shirt cuff. to pre-
vent mistakes"
"How can you talk such nonsense
But you have given me an idea
Couldn't you save her when she is out
bicyclingY'
what from? And how am to find
her at the right momentY
"Well, really should have thought
that a man could have arranged al
that in a minute"
Seems as If the surest plan woulG
be to arrange the accident. One nigh
bride tramp to attack her and allow
himself to be driven off by one, and
then he would probably blackmail ms
for the rest Of my life. Or one nigh
get generous friend to do the tramp
part In disguise, only I can't at thu
present moment think Of any man wht
would be such jay. Besides, you
Aunt Judy is just the kind of energetic
female who would insist on seeing tn.
villain safe In Jail after the rescue
Then I should have to give myself VI
to save him. The plan Is not SO bril-
liant as it seemed at first"
"No; it isn't; very far from 1t. Blu
listen to me. On Monday Aunt judy
starts on bicycle ride to Scotland
alone. She wishes to show that ont
woman In boomers can go through thu
length Of England without coming t.
grief. Now, my idea is that you SHOULD
accompany her"
"'Myes! Do you think she will catcl
on to the elopeMentT
ooh, she n not to know. I will FIND
| out the route she goes by. and you viii
| follow at a distance and keep her IL
| sight. Then If she gets into any din
culties-and feel sure she will-yo'
can rush to the rescue and earn he
| eternal gratitude"
"Supposing she sees me early In tn
jaunt and smokes the trickw
"You must take care she doesn't. I
you keep behind her all the time. sh'
won't be able to see you"
Bob Falk was very much in 10y,
with pretty Lydia Darrell. and he woult
have attempted anything that bore ths
smallest premise Of advancing the date
Of their marriage. Besides, at that
moment the young woman of the libra
ry, who, knowing them by sight and
divining love affair, had humanelJ
left them alone in the back room for &
few minutes, returned with an apollo
getic and at the same time decided ex
preston.
For one Of the results OF Lady in
dith's harsh policy in ordering thai
mot at home" was to be said to Mr.
Falk and In exercising a strict censor
ship over the letters received by bel
niece was that Lydia had hit upon Tho
idea Of the library as a meeting place
and Bob put messages in the agony
column when he wished to. communi
cate with her. Lydia of course coul6
write to him.
"In consequence OF Information re
ceived," as the police say, Bob FAN
started I'm nIrsuit of LADY Judith mar